An investigation is underway after a United Airlines Boeing 767 struck a light pole and a tractor-trailer on the New Jersey Turnpike while on approach to Newark Liberty International Airport on May 3, 2026.
Dash cam video from the tractor-trailer captured the moment Flight UA169, which departed Venice, Italy, passed close to the highway infrastructure. The flight carried 221 passengers and 10 crew members. A frame-by-frame review of the footage appears to show a landing gear tire near the truck driver’s window.
New Jersey State Police said a preliminary investigation indicates a tire from the aircraft’s landing gear and the underside of the plane struck both the light pole and the tractor-trailer. The pole also struck a Jeep that was traveling on the turnpike.
The truck was en route to the Smith’s Bakery depot in Newark and was about to exit the turnpike when it was hit, Chuck Paterakis, senior vice president of transportation and logistics and co-principal at H&S Bakery, told CBS Baltimore. The driver, identified by Paterakis as Warren Boardley, was taken to a hospital with minor injuries related to glass and later released.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it is investigating the incident, and the National Transportation Safety Board has opened a probe. United said the airplane ‘came into contact with a light pole,’ landed safely, taxied to the gate and that no passengers or crew were injured. The airline added its maintenance team is assessing damage and will investigate how the contact occurred.
Cellphone video and the dash cam show the jet flying low over the turnpike before landing just after 2 p.m. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said the aircraft was on approach to Runway 29 when it struck the pole, damaging the pole and the southbound tractor-trailer. Airport staff inspected the runway for debris and then resumed normal operations.
Flight UA169 had been vectored to Runway 29 because of windy conditions. Runway 29 is Newark’s shortest runway at 6,725 feet; the runways the Venice flight typically uses are about 11,000 feet and 9,999 feet. The recommended minimum runway length for a 767-400 is just over 6,000 feet, so the landing was within published limits but offered a smaller margin of error and less buffer over nearby roadways.
Former NTSB chair and retired 737 captain Robert Sumwalt called the approach to Runway 29 relatively short and a difficult approach, noting it is not a straight-in landing and lacks some landing-assist technologies available on the longer runways. Investigators said they will want to determine why the airplane was low on final approach, including whether wind, a loss of situational awareness or other factors played a role.
Passengers and bystanders said the dash cam footage was alarming. Miranda Lee of Tenafly, New Jersey, said she was grateful everyone on board was okay. Sam Immanuel, a New Jersey resident, described the footage as scary and concerning. Governor Mikie Sherrill wrote on social media that she was thankful the aircraft landed safely and that no one aboard was injured.
Authorities continue to investigate the sequence of events and the aircraft’s final approach profile as FAA and NTSB teams collect data and assess damage.