United Boeing 767 Strikes Turnpike Light Pole, Truck Near Newark Landing
A United Boeing 767 clipped a Turnpike light pole and a truck on final approach to Newark, injuring the driver and triggering federal probes.
United Airlines Flight 169, a Boeing 767 carrying 221 passengers and 10 crew members from Venice, Italy, struck a light pole and a truck on the New Jersey Turnpike while coming in to land at Newark Liberty International Airport. The plane landed safely, and no one aboard was injured, but the truck driver was hurt and taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
The collision happened around 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 3, 2026, as the aircraft was on final approach over one of the busiest air corridors in the region. Authorities said the underside and a tire of the plane hit the pole and the truck’s trailer. Cellphone and dashcam video circulating online reportedly showed the jet flying very low over the highway before impact, with glass flying from the truck’s cab.
Some reports identified the vehicle as a bakery delivery truck hauling Schmidt Baking Company products. The New Jersey State Police said the aircraft struck a light pole and a trailer during the approach, adding another layer of concern to a landing path that passes close to highway traffic below.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board opened investigations into the incident. Those reviews will look at how a landing aircraft could come into contact with a ground vehicle and roadside infrastructure at a major airport, and whether any breakdown occurred in the system meant to keep arriving jets separated from traffic on the Turnpike. At busy airports like Newark Liberty, that safety net depends on multiple layers working at once: air-traffic control guiding the aircraft onto the glide path, pilots maintaining proper descent, and ground conditions beneath the approach remaining clear of hazards.
The episode carried added weight because it came during a weekend when United flights at Newark had already faced another scare. With heavy traffic and tight margins on the approach into Newark, any lapse raises questions not only about one flight, but about the safety of the entire corridor that runs over the Turnpike and into the airport.
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