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A newly released video captures the tense moment when a United Airlines flight, arriving from overseas, collided with a light pole and a tractor trailer as it approached Newark Liberty International Airport over the weekend.
Flight 169, which had departed from Venice, Italy, was on its final descent to New Jersey when it clipped the pole and collided with a Schmidt Bakery truck around 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Fortunately, all 221 passengers aboard the flight were unharmed, and the plane managed to land safely despite the close call.
The dramatic footage from inside the bakery truck, en route from Baltimore to a depot in New Jersey, reveals the driver’s perspective on the New Jersey Turnpike just before the aircraft’s landing gear and underside struck the vehicle, sending it spinning down the road.
Surveillance video captures the moment the United Airlines aircraft makes contact with the tractor trailer as it nears its landing at Newark Liberty International Airport on May 3, 2026. (Footage provided by WBFF)
Miraculously, the driver was transported to a local hospital with only minor injuries from broken glass, according to Chuck Paterakis, senior vice president of Transportation and Logistics and co-principal at the company.Â
“Upon its final approach into Newark International Airport, United flight 169 came into contact with a light pole,” United Airlines said in a statement. “The aircraft landed safely, taxied to the gate normally and no passengers or crew were injured.”
The airline said maintenance teams are inspecting the aircraft for possible damage and conducting a full safety review. The crew members on board have been temporarily removed from service.
“The crash remains under investigation, and no additional information is available,” New Jersey State Police told FOX Business.
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 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the aircraft struck the pole at roughly 2 p.m. local time and said it is investigating.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is also looking into the incident and said an investigator is expected to arrive in Newark on Monday.
“The agency has directed United Airlines to secure and provide both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder to support the investigation. A preliminary report outlining the facts and circumstances of the event is expected within 30 days,” NTSB told FOX Business in an email.