An inquiry has been initiated following an incident where a Boeing 767 aircraft made contact with a street light as it was landing at a bustling U.S. airport. The United Airlines Boeing 767 hit a street light on the New Jersey Turnpike while approaching Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on Sunday afternoon. Federal authorities, including the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) personnel, are investigating the incident that occurred just before the flight from Italy landed.
Footage captured from a moving vehicle on the turnpike shows shocked bystanders reacting to the collision. Despite the aircraft hitting the light, United Flight 169, a Boeing 767-400 arriving from Venice, successfully landed around 2 pm local time with all 221 passengers and 10 crew members unharmed.
The aircraft, registered as N77066, was descending towards Newark airport when it clipped the street light adjacent to the airport’s perimeter on the heavily trafficked New Jersey Turnpike. The incident has raised concerns about the flight’s altitude during its final descent.
The NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are swiftly working to determine the cause of the low-altitude contact. An NTSB lead investigator is expected to arrive at Newark on Monday, and United Airlines has been instructed to secure the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) for immediate analysis.
A preliminary report outlining the incident’s details is anticipated to be released within a month. United Airlines issued a statement acknowledging the incident, stating that the aircraft made contact with a light pole during its final approach into Newark International Airport. The airline assured that the plane landed safely, taxied to the gate without incident, and that no passengers or crew members were harmed. Maintenance teams are assessing the aircraft’s damage, and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident.
