United Airlines Plane Strikes Lightpole and Truck Prior to Landing
A United jet taking off in Newark
A United Airlines plane struck a light pole and a truck on the New Jersey Turnpike as it was coming in for a landing at Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday afternoon just before 2 p.m. (14:00) ET, officials said.
The United Boeing 767, operating as Flight 169, with 221 passengers and 10 crewmembers on board, had departed Marco Polo Airport in Venice at 11:03 a.m. (11:03) local time. New Jersey State Police said that the results of a preliminary investigation indicated that a tire from the plane’s landing gear and “the underside of the plane” hit both the pole and the tractor-trailer truck. The pole then struck a Jeep traveling on the turnpike, state police said.
Dashcam video shows that one of the plane’s landing gear tires went through the truck’s window and windshield.
The driver of the truck, Warren Boardley, was taken to hospital with minor injuries from broken glass and was later released, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport, said.
The airline acknowledged the incident in a statement, saying it would investigate: “Upon its final approach into Newark International Airport, United flight 169 came into contact with a light pole. The aircraft landed safely, taxied to the gate normally, and no passengers or crew were injured. Our maintenance team is evaluating damage to the aircraft and we will investigate how this occurred.“
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
