A new video shows United Flight 169 striking a light pole and skirting a truck during landing at Newark. Agencies are investigating.
A video circulating from Newark shows the critical moment a United Airlines jet appeared to strike a light pole and pass dangerously close to a bakery truck during landing.
The incident occurred Sunday as United Flight 169 made its final approach to Runway 29 at Newark Liberty International Airport. according to Misryoum.. Officials said the aircraft “struck an object. ” which resulted in damage to airport infrastructure and a southbound tractor-trailer on the New Jersey Turnpike.
In this case, the public footage matters because it captures how quickly a routine approach can turn into a high-stakes safety test for everyone in the air and on the ground.
State police said a tire and part of the plane’s underside collided with a pole and a tractor-trailer, after which the pole was struck again by a vehicle traveling on the highway. The truck driver was reported to have injuries described as not life-threatening and was taken to a hospital.
Meanwhile, United said the plane landed safely and taxied to its gate normally, and that no injuries were reported among passengers or crew. The airline also said maintenance teams were assessing damage to the aircraft and that its crew had been removed from service as part of the review process.
This episode underscores how airport safety depends on more than the flight path alone, including the relationship between air operations and what happens beyond the runway environment.
Misryoum reports that federal and investigative agencies have been looking into the circumstances. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are examining what happened around 2 p.m., and an NTSB investigator arrived at the airport for interviews.
The NTSB said its investigation will consider a range of factors. including flight operations and aircraft performance. as well as meteorological conditions and human performance. along with crew resource management and air traffic control.. The airline has also been directed to secure key onboard recording equipment used in these reviews. including the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder.
At the end of the day, the reason agencies move quickly after incidents like this is to identify the specific chain of causes, so similar risk can be prevented long before it reaches another flight deck or the highway below.