A United Airlines plane was involved in an incident during landing at Newark Liberty International Airport, outside New York, on Sunday afternoon (3). The aircraft collided with a light pole during the final approach, causing damage to the structure and hitting a truck that was traveling on the New Jersey Turnpike highway.
According to local authorities, the truck driver suffered minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital. He has since been discharged. None of the passengers or crew on board were injured.
Flight 169 had departed from Marco Polo Airport in Venice, Italy, bound for Newark. The aircraft involved was a Boeing 767-400, carrying 221 passengers and 10 crew members.
Aircraft struck pole during final approach.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the plane struck a light pole while on approach to runway 29. The collision occurred at approximately 14 p.m. local time.
Initial reports indicate that one of the landing gear tires and the underside of the aircraft struck the structure. The impact damaged the pole, which then also hit a tractor-trailer on the southbound lane of the New Jersey Turnpike.
Subsequently, the pole reportedly struck a Jeep traveling on the same highway. At this time, there is no confirmation of any injuries to those in the vehicle.
The landing was completed without emergency.
Despite the impact, the Boeing managed to land normally and proceeded to the disembarkation gate without the need for evacuation or activation of emergency protocols.
United Airlines reported that its technical team has begun a full inspection to assess the damage to the aircraft. In a statement, the company said that the safety of the flight will be thoroughly reviewed.
The company also announced that the crew has been temporarily removed from operations, a standard procedure in cases of air incident investigations.
An investigation has already been opened by US authorities.
The FAA confirmed it has opened an investigation to determine the circumstances of the incident. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has also launched a parallel investigation.
According to the agency, the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder, known as black boxes, were requested for technical analysis. An investigator is expected to arrive at the site on Monday (4).
The preliminary report on the case should be released within 30 days.
Newark experiences a series of recent incidents.
The incident comes just weeks after other incidents were recorded at Newark Airport. Recently, an Alaska Airlines flight and a FedEx cargo plane nearly collided while using intersecting runways.
In March, another incident involved a Singapore Airlines plane whose wing struck the tail of a Spirit Airlines aircraft during a maneuver near the boarding gate.
The series of incidents reignites the debate about operational safety and air traffic control at one of the busiest airports in the United States.
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