United Airlines Boeing 767-400ER Lands Too Low, Collides with Light Pole and Overturns Truck
According to the Associated Press, on May 3rd local time at around 2 PM, a United Airlines Boeing 767-400ER passenger plane landed too low at Newark Liberty International Airport, colliding with a light pole and a truck on the New Jersey Turnpike during the final approach, injuring the truck driver.
The flight involved was United Airlines UA169, operating the Venice, Italy to Newark route, carrying 221 passengers and 10 crew members.
At the time of the incident, the aircraft was preparing to land on runway 29, whose approach path is directly adjacent to the New Jersey Turnpike. The aircraft needs to fly low over the highway before touchdown.
Video footage taken by witnesses shows the wide-body aircraft was clearly too low in altitude directly above the highway. The landing gear and fuselage collided with a roadside light pole and a moving semi-trailer truck, causing the truck to overturn.
The impact caused the light pole to collapse, with debris hitting a passing Jeep. The truck driver sustained minor injuries due to shattered windows and was sent to the hospital for treatment but is now in stable condition. All 231 people on board the plane were unharmed.
Despite the collision with ground objects in the air, the Boeing 767-400ER continued to complete the approach and landed safely, then taxied to the gate on its own. Inspection revealed damage to the aircraft's landing gear and the underside of the fuselage, and one tire was impacted.
A United Airlines spokesperson said in a statement that the maintenance team is assessing the aircraft damage, the crew involved has been suspended from flying, and the airline will launch a thorough safety investigation.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have both launched formal investigations. The NTSB has requested the airline to preserve the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder and has dispatched investigators to Newark. A preliminary investigation report is expected to be released within 30 days.
Newark Airport's runway 29 is known for being adjacent to the New Jersey Turnpike, with aircraft flying almost directly over traffic during landing, and has been a focus of discussion on aviation safety. This accident has once again raised concerns about the safety of the approach to this runway.