A United Airlines flight from Venice, identified as a Boeing 767 on flight number 169, encountered an unexpected incident while attempting to land at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. On Sunday, the aircraft clipped a light pole and struck a truck with a trailer, all captured by the truck's onboard camera.
The aircraft, registered as N77066, was directed toward Newark's runway 29, the shortest runway of the airport, due to prevailing wind conditions around 2:00 p.m. local time.
As the plane made its final approach, its landing gear and underside grazed a light pole positioned over the lanes of the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95), one of the busiest highways in the United States. The fallen pole struck the roof of a truck passing beneath at that moment.
The truck was owned by Baker's Express, part of the H&S Family of Bakeries, and was delivering baked goods to a Newark airport warehouse.
Chuck Paterakis, Vice President of Transportation at Schmidt Bakery, stated that the driver "felt the plane's tires brushing against the top of the trailer."
The driver, Warren Boardley from Baltimore, sustained minor injuries, specifically cuts on his arm and forearm from shattered glass, and was hospitalized and released on the same day.
Onboard the aircraft were 221 passengers and 10 crew members, all of whom escaped unharmed. The plane managed to land safely and taxied to the gate normally after the incident.
United Airlines has removed the pilots from active duty and issued a statement saying, "Our maintenance team is assessing the aircraft for damage, and we will investigate how this occurred."
Both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched formal investigations. The NTSB has directed United Airlines to secure the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, with a preliminary report expected in 30 days.
The incident is technically classified as a collision with aerial structures. Newark's runway 29 requires aircraft to fly unusually low over the Turnpike during the final approach, with less margin for error than other airport runways.
This is not the first occurrence of such an incident: in 1982, a Pan Am Boeing 727 grazed a vehicle on the same highway during an aborted takeoff from Newark.
The event unfolds amid growing concerns about aviation safety in the United States. On March 23, an Air Canada Express plane collided with a fire truck at New York's LaGuardia Airport, resulting in at least two fatalities and 70 injuries.
Prior to that episode, in January 2025, American Airlines flight 5342 crashed into a military helicopter near Washington D.C.'s Reagan Airport, with 67 casualties.
United Airlines has also been involved in other recent incidents: in 2023, a company aircraft collided with a Delta plane at Boston Airport, and in October 2025, two Delta planes collided on the ground at another U.S. airport, contributing to a series of events that keep the entire industry under scrutiny.
The series of aviation accidents and incidents in the United States over the past 16 months has intensified the debate over commercial aviation safety standards, and the Newark case adds a new dimension: the dangerous proximity of certain runways to high-traffic road infrastructures.
Key Questions About the Newark Airport Incident
What caused the United Airlines flight to collide with a truck and light pole?
The collision occurred due to the aircraft's low approach on runway 29 at Newark, which led to it clipping a light pole and hitting a truck on the New Jersey Turnpike.
What measures are being taken to investigate the Newark incident?
The FAA and NTSB have initiated formal investigations. United Airlines has been instructed to secure the cockpit voice and flight data recorders for analysis.
Were there any injuries reported from the Newark landing incident?
The truck driver sustained minor injuries, while all passengers and crew members aboard the plane were unharmed.