NEWARK, New Jersey — United Flight 169, a Boeing 767-400 arriving from Venice, Italy, struck a light pole over the New Jersey Turnpike on its final approach to Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday, damaging a tractor-trailer on the highway and sending its driver to a hospital with minor injuries, officials said.
The aircraft, operating as United Flight 169, was approaching Runway 29 just before 2 p.m. when it came into contact with a light pole spanning the southbound lanes of the turnpike, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The plane landed safely and taxied to the gate without further incident.
There were 221 passengers and 10 crew members on board, and none reported injuries, the airline confirmed in a statement. United said its maintenance team was assessing damage to the aircraft.
Truck driver hospitalized after roadway impact
The pole strike sent debris onto a tractor-trailer travelling beneath it. The Port Authority Police Department said the driver was transported to a hospital with minor injuries and has since been released.
The vehicle belonged to Baker’s Express and was en route to deliver bread products to a depot near the airport, according to Chuck Paterakis, vice president of transportation for Schmidt Bakery and owner of H&S Family of Bakeries. Paterakis identified the driver as Warren Boardley of Baltimore, who was travelling northbound at the time.
Paterakis told ABC News that the driver described the aircraft’s landing gear brushing or coming to rest momentarily on the top of the tractor. Boardley pulled over safely after the strike and contacted his employer. He sustained cuts to his arm and forearm from broken glass but avoided serious injury, Paterakis said. The trailer and its cargo were not damaged.
A witness travelling on the turnpike toward Elizabeth told PIX11 that a large aircraft suddenly appeared directly above the roadway, prompting a truck to swerve toward a concrete barrier. Cellphone footage circulating online shows the wide-body jet flying unusually low over highway traffic moments before touchdown, with a bent light pole visible in the center divider afterward.
FAA opens investigation into United Flight 169 approach
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the contact and said it has opened an investigation into how the aircraft struck the pole during its descent. United said it would conduct its own review in parallel with federal authorities.
“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,” the airline said in its statement.
The Sunday strike adds to a string of recent operational disruptions for the carrier, which earlier faced a nationwide ground stop tied to a technical issue.
Runway 29 at Newark Liberty runs parallel to a stretch of the turnpike where light poles and signage line the median. Aviation safety standards require minimum clearance heights for aircraft on final approach, and any contact with ground infrastructure typically triggers a mandatory FAA review of approach paths, altitude data, and air traffic communications.
The FAA has not provided a timeline for its findings. Details concerning the bakery truck driver and his account were first reported by ABC News.
