United Airlines Plane Crashes While Landing at Newark

Last month, a United Airlines passenger flight encountered a precarious situation shortly before landing at Newark Liberty International Airport. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported that on May 3, Flight 169, which was traveling from Venice, Italy, to New Jersey, crashed into a utility pole and a bakery truck while descending around 2 p.m.

Footage from an onboard camera captured the startling moment a Boeing 767-400 collided with the Schmidt Bakery truck. Fortunately, all 231 people on board emerged unharmed, and the aircraft managed to land safely afterward. However, the driver of the truck did sustain minor injuries.

The preliminary 11-page report details that the aircraft was making its descent when the crew was instructed to change runways multiple times before finally being assigned to Runway 29. The NTSB indicated that the flight was operating normally until it began its descent.

As the plane neared the runway, its airspeed dropped, and the co-pilot alerted the captain by saying the plane was “still slow and a little low.” As the descent continued, the aircraft dangerously approached just 18 to 19 feet above the ground as it flew over the turnpike. The report stated that it struck a 15-foot utility pole just seconds before landing.

The captain described hearing a “thud,” while a flight attendant reported a “loud bang” just ahead of landing. After the aircraft was parked, inspectors found three holes in the lower left side of the rear fuselage and damage to one of the tires.

In response to the incident, a spokesperson from United mentioned they had no further information. Following the accident, a safety alert was issued by United Airlines to encourage pilots to pay closer attention to visual glideslope indicators, which are meant to assist in safe approach and landing by showing whether a plane is too high or too low during descent.