The NTSB on Thursday released an 11-page preliminary report into the May 3 incident at Newark Liberty International Airport. Investigators said the flight from Venice, Italy, was “normal until the descent.” The flight crew had initially planned to land on runway 4R, but the assigned runway was changed twice, ultimately to runway 29.
According to the NTSB, the captain was flying the aircraft and the first officer was monitoring flight instruments during the gusty approach. As they descended, the first officer recalled saying, “hey you are slow,” followed moments later by, “you are still slow and a little low.” The captain told investigators he heard the first officer call out “airspeed slow” but said he felt the airplane was in a safe position to land.
The captain reported hearing “a thump” just before touchdown, and the first officer said he felt a “mild jolt” as they neared the runway threshold. Dashcam video from a bakery truck showed the plane’s landing gear passing just above the truck’s cab, followed by the sound of the light pole striking the vehicle. The NTSB said the jet crossed the New Jersey Turnpike at 19 feet above the ground.
After parking at the gate, maintenance crews found three punctures on the fuselage. One of the landing gear tires had “slash marks,” the NTSB said. The truck driver sustained minor injuries; none of the 231 people aboard the flight were hurt.
Since the accident, United Airlines reminded its pilots landing at Newark to use the visual glideslope indicators next to the runway to ensure safe obstruction clearances, according to the NTSB. A United spokesperson declined to comment on whether the captain remains on flight status, telling NPR, “We don’t have anything to share.”
The NTSB said its final investigation is expected to be complete within a year.