United Flight Strikes Pole on Highway Before Landing at Newark

(Bloomberg) -- A United Airlines Holdings Inc. flight approaching Newark Liberty International Airport struck a light pole on an adjacent highway before landing safely, the latest in a string of incidents that have put the spotlight on aviation safety in the US.

United Flight 169 from Venice, Italy, hit a pole on the New Jersey Turnpike around 2 p.m. local time Sunday before touching down, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. 

None of the passengers or crew was injured, according to a post on X by New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident. The plane involved was a Boeing Co. 767.

A tire from the plane’s landing gear, and the belly of the aircraft, hit both the pole and a tractor-trailer traveling south on the turnpike, CBS News said, in a report citing New Jersey State Police and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The driver was hospitalized with minor injuries and has been discharged, according to the network. 

The pole also struck a Jeep that was on the road, CBS reported. 

The NTSB said in a separate statement that it has asked United for the plane’s cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder. An investigator from the agency is due to arrive in Newark on Monday. 

A preliminary report outlining the facts and circumstances of the event is expected within 30 days.

The incident comes amid heightened scrutiny of aviation safety. In March, an Air Canada Express plane collided with a fire truck shortly after landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, killing the captain and co-pilot. That crash was the third major commercial aviation accident on US soil in just 15 months.

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