Newly released video footage has captured the dramatic moment when a commercial aircraft collided with a truck while attempting to land at a prominent airport in the United States.
The incident involved United Airlines Flight 169 as it was making its descent at Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday, May 3. The airplane not only struck a light pole along the New Jersey Turnpike, as previously detailed by media reports, but also collided with a bakery truck.
The flight, originating from Venice, Italy, was approaching the airport in New Jersey at a speed exceeding 257 km per hour, according to data from the flight tracking service Flightradar24.
Preliminary findings from an investigation indicated that the aircraft’s landing gear tire and underside made contact with a pole and a tractor-trailer, subsequently causing the pole to impact a Jeep, as stated by New Jersey State Police spokesman SFC Charles Marchan.
The driver of the tractor-trailer sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Video footage from a dashboard camera within the bakery truck showed the moment of impact, resulting in the driver, Warren Boardley, sustaining minor injuries and being hospitalized briefly.
Fortunately, no passengers on the flight were harmed during the incident. Despite this, it was reported that the pilots and air traffic control were initially unaware of the collision.
Following the landing, the aircraft taxied to the gate while other planes continued to land at the airport. Subsequently, air traffic controllers notified ground staff of damage to the plane’s side, prompting an inspection.
United Airlines confirmed that their maintenance team would evaluate the extent of the damage to the aircraft and conduct a thorough safety investigation into the matter. The plane’s crew has been temporarily removed from service pending the investigation.