United Airlines Plane Strikes Light Pole and Truck Near Newark Airport

An investigation is underway after 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, May 3, 2026. The incident, which occurred around 2 p.m., involved United Flight 169, a Boeing 767-400 traveling from Venice, Italy, with 221 passengers and 10 crew members on board. Despite the collision, the aircraft landed safely, taxied to the gate normally, and no passengers or crew were injured.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the incident. According to airport and law enforcement officials, the plane made contact with a light pole above the southbound lanes of the New Jersey Turnpike as it approached Runway 29. The pole struck a tractor-trailer traveling on the turnpike, causing minor injuries to the driver, who was later released from the hospital. The tractor-trailer belonged to Baker’s Express and was en route to deliver bread products to a Newark airport depot. The driver, Warren Boardley of Baltimore, sustained cuts from broken glass but was otherwise unharmed.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey confirmed that the plane was on its way to Runway 29 when it hit the light pole, causing damage to the pole and the tractor-trailer. New Jersey State Police reported that a tire from the plane’s landing gear and the underside of the plane hit both the pole and the tractor-trailer. The pole also struck a Jeep traveling on the turnpike, though there were no reports of injuries to the Jeep’s occupants.

United Airlines released a statement saying, Our maintenance team is evaluating damage to the aircraft and we will investigate how this occurred. We will conduct a rigorous flight safety investigation into the incident and our crew has been removed from service as part of the process. The airline also emphasized that the aircraft landed safely and that no passengers or crew were injured.

Airport staff conducted runway inspections immediately following the incident, and normal operations were quickly resumed. The FAA, New Jersey Turnpike Authority, and other officials were on site Sunday evening, conducting inspections and gathering evidence.

This incident marks another in a series of high-profile aviation-related accidents involving planes and vehicles on or near runways. Just last month, a deadly collision between an Air Canada Express plane and a fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport highlighted ongoing safety concerns in the aviation industry. While the details of the Newark incident are still under investigation, the fact that no lives were lost is a relief to passengers, crew, and authorities alike.

As the investigation continues, the focus remains on determining the cause of the collision and ensuring that such incidents are prevented in the future. The NTSB and FAA are expected to release preliminary findings as more information becomes available.

For now, the aviation community and the public can take solace in the fact that, despite the unusual circumstances, the plane landed safely, and all those on board and on the ground were unharmed.