A passenger jet collided with a truck while attempting to land at a major US airport, as shown in alarming video footage. United Airlines Flight 169 was making its landing at Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday, May 3, when it struck a light pole on the nearby New Jersey Turnpike. Additionally, new footage reveals that the plane also made contact with a bakery truck.
The flight, arriving from Venice, Italy, was on its approach to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. The United Airlines Boeing 767 was traveling at a speed exceeding 257km per hour as it passed over the turnpike just outside the airport, according to data from flight tracking site Flightradar24.
An initial inquiry indicated that a tire from the plane’s landing gear and the underside of the aircraft collided with a pole and a tractor-trailer. The pole then hit a Jeep, as stated by New Jersey State Police spokesman SFC Charles Marchan.
The driver of the tractor-trailer sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital. Dashcam footage from the bakery truck depicted the moment of impact when the plane’s landing gear tires struck the truck, causing significant shaking and glass breakage.
The truck driver, Warren Boardley, sustained minor injuries and received treatment at the hospital before being discharged. Fortunately, no passengers on the flight were harmed.
Reports suggest that the pilots and air traffic control were unaware of the incident. The aircraft was directed to taxi to the gate while other planes continued to land on the runway. Approximately thirty minutes after the landing, air traffic controllers alerted an operations vehicle about a “hole in the side of the airplane” for inspection.
United Airlines stated that its maintenance team was assessing the aircraft damage and vowed to conduct a thorough flight safety investigation. As part of the probe, the plane’s crew has been temporarily relieved from duty.
