A United Airlines Boeing 767 carrying 221 passengers from Venice, Italy struck a light pole on the New Jersey Turnpike as it came in for a landing at Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday afternoon, authorities said. The airline said none of the passengers or the 10 crew members aboard United Airlines Flight 169 were injured. The Federal Aviation Administration said the aircraft landed safely after it “came into contact with a light pole” on its final approach.
The New Jersey State Police said a landing tire and the underside of the plane also hit a truck on the highway. The light pole then struck a Jeep that was on the turnpike, the state police said. The driver of the truck was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and was released, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport.
The airport operator said it confirmed an object was struck and that a delivery truck on the turnpike at the time was damaged. It said airport staff inspected the runway for debris and that normal operations resumed quickly. A Boeing 767 coming into Newark on one of the airport’s main runways travels low over multiple lanes of traffic on the turnpike, which begins near the edge of the highway.
United said its maintenance team was evaluating damage to the aircraft and that the crew was removed from service while the airline conducts a “rigorous” flight safety investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board said an investigator would arrive in Newark on Monday.
The NTSB directed United to provide the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder for the investigation, with a preliminary report expected within 30 days, the agency said.