A United Airlines Boeing 767 struck a light pole and a tractor-trailer on the New Jersey Turnpike on Sunday, May 3, during its final approach to Newark Liberty International Airport. The plane was carrying 221 passengers and 10 crew members inbound from Venice, Italy.
New Jersey State Police said a preliminary investigation indicated that a landing gear tire and the underside of the aircraft hit both the pole and the tractor-trailer. The aircraft landed safely and taxied to the gate normally. No passengers or crew were reported injured. The NTSB has since classified the event as an accident, and investigators were on the ground at Newark by Monday morning.
As per the reports of CNN, on Sunday between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., United Flight 169, on its way out of Venice, attempted to land at Newark Liberty, but flew too low in its final approach, striking a light pole at the New Jersey Turnpike.
Flightradar24's flight tracking site reports that the plane was flying at over 160 miles per hour when it flew over the turnpike, right outside the airport.
This was not the flight's usual approach. The daily Venice service typically lands on Newark's longer runways, but due to windy conditions on Sunday, the aircraft was vectored onto Runway 29, the shortest of the airport's three runways at just 6,725 feet, compared to the 11,000-foot and 9,999-foot alternatives.
The pole then collided with a Jeep, which was also on the turnpike. Staff at the airport checked the runway to ensure that there was no debris and that normal operations occurred soon after.
The truck driver, Warren Boardley of Baltimore, was heading north on the turnpike to deliver bread products to a Newark airport depot when the incident occurred. This is as reported by Chuck Paterakis, senior vice president of transportation for Schmidt Bakery and co-owner of H&S Family of Bakeries.
Boardley did not suffer severe injuries and managed to pull over safely. However, broken glass caused cuts in his arms, as per the reports of CNN.
Runway 29 has the least buffer between it and the freeways that ring Newark Liberty Airport. The minimum runway distance required for a Boeing 767-400 is 6,000-plus feet, which means that the landing was not objectively unsafe. Instead ot had a considerably smaller margin of error than normal.
Runway 29 begins less than 400 feet away on the edge of the busy New Jersey Turnpike. It is not really utilized, but when the wind conditions are favorable, it may make numerous landings. This can startle drivers as planes pass at low altitudes over the highway. Wind gusts of up to 31 mph were recorded at the time of the incident, as reported by the Associated Press.
The NTSB will examine the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, reviewing flight operations, weather, human performance, crew management, aircraft performance, and air traffic control communications.
The agency is unlikely to offer detailed findings until it publishes its preliminary report, expected roughly a month from now, and has confirmed it does not plan any press conferences on the accident
United Airlines has ensured that both pilots are put on leave until the investigation. This incident gives a new twist to an airport which caters to a population of over 48 million passengers each year - and where the margin between a safe landing and a disaster, on Runway 29, has always been painfully narrow.
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