A recent report from the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that a United Airlines aircraft was descending at an unsafe altitude and speed before colliding with a light pole and a tractor-trailer near Newark Liberty International Airport last month.
Flight 169, which was en route from Venice, Italy, to New Jersey, encountered the obstacles during its landing approach at approximately 2 p.m. on May 3, striking a pole and a Schmidt Bakery truck.
A dashcam video captured the moment the Boeing 767-400 clipped the bakery truck as it flew over the New Jersey Turnpike. Fortunately, all 231 passengers and crew members on board were unharmed, and the aircraft managed to land without further incident.
Meanwhile, the driver of the truck suffered minor injuries.
The incident involving the United Airlines flight and the truck occurred during its landing attempt at Newark Liberty International Airport on May 3.
The aircraft was descending toward the airport when the crew experienced multiple runway changes before finally being assigned to runway 29, an 11-page preliminary report states. The NTSB noted that the flight was “normal until the descent.”
As the plane neared the runway, its airspeed began to decay, prompting the first officer to warn the captain that the aircraft was “still slow and a little low.”
The airplane descended dangerously low, reaching just 18 to 19 feet above ground level as it crossed over the Turnpike. It then struck a 15-foot-tall light pole on the turnpike just seconds before landing, the report said.
Surveillance footage shows a United Airlines plane clipping a tractor trailer during its approach at Newark Liberty International Airport on May 3, 2026. (Obtained by WBFF)
The captain reported hearing a “thump,” while flight attendants in the back heard a “loud bang” just before touchdown.
After the plane parked at the gate, an onsite examination revealed three punctures to the lower left aft fuselage and slash marks on one tire, the report states.
Surveillance footage shows a United Airlines plane clipping a tractor trailer during its approach at Newark Liberty International Airport on May 3, 2026. (Obtained by WBFF)
When asked about the report, a United spokesperson told News Media, “We don’t have anything to share.”
Following the accident, United Airlines issued a safety alert explicitly warning pilots about using visual glideslope indicators—the lighting systems designed to provide visual guidance during approach and landing to let pilots know if they are flying too high or too low along their descent path.
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