A United Airlines Boeing 767 clipped a bakery truck and a light post outside the perimeter of Newark International Airport on Sunday afternoon, upending the vehicle and sending the delivery driver to the hospital in a bizarre and highly unusual accident that has drawn attention from the Federal Aviation Administration.
The incident occurred in the very final moments of United flight UA-169 which had just completed an eight and a half hour transatlantic flight from Venice, Italy, on May 3.
An investigation is underway after a United Airlines Boeing 767-424 struck a light pole on the New Jersey Turnpike as it was landing at Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) May 3, 2026
Flight UA169 that originated in Venice,… pic.twitter.com/pKmym9VN9x
The Boeing 767 with 221 passengers and 10 crew members on board was lined up to land on Runway 29, which runs almost perpendicular to the Route 95 New Jersey Turnpike running north to south along the whole side of the Newark Airport airfield.
For a reason yet to be determined, the pilots of the 23-year-old plane flew so low on approach to the runway that the tires of the plane appear to have clipped a delivery truck driving along the New Jersey Turnpike at the exact location where the runway ends.
After toppling over the truck, the plane then appears to have clipped a light post on the outskirts of the airport before landing otherwise safely.
Dashcam footage from inside the delivery truck has already gone viral on social media, showing the moment that the cab is sent into disarray as the vehicle topples over.
🔴 Il semblerait que le Boeing 767-400 de United Airlines ai également heurté un camion lors de son atterrissage à l’aéroport de Newark.
— air plus news (@airplusnews) May 3, 2026
Le chauffeur du camion est hospitalisé après avoir subi de légères blessures selon CNN. https://t.co/G6FgtdIYd1 pic.twitter.com/vUq9QK6f4v
There is also a video from eyewitnesses driving along the road, shouting out as the plane flew low above them,
In a statement, a spokesperson for United Airlines said: “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 FAA also said that it was investigating the incident.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has ordered United Airlines to secure both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, and turn these over to investigators who are due to arrive at Newark on Monday.
