NTSB Investigates United 767 Strike on Truck, Light Pole at Newark

The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an accident investigation after a United Airlines Boeing 767-400ER struck a highway light pole and a bakery delivery truck during final approach to Newark Liberty International Airport on May 3, 2026.

Flight 169, arriving from Venice, was on short final to Runway 29 when it flew unusually low over the New Jersey Turnpike, striking a light pole and the roof of a tractor-trailer operated by Bakery Express. According to preliminary data and ADS-B analysis, the aircraft was traveling at approximately 160 mph when the impact occurred roughly 700 feet from the runway threshold. The collision caused the light pole to collapse onto a nearby Jeep, resulting in minor injuries to the truck driver, who was treated and released. All 221 passengers and 10 crew members aboard were unharmed, and the flight crew successfully landed and taxied to the gate.

Investigators are focusing on the aircraft's vertical profile relative to Runway 29's displaced threshold and the Precision Approach Path Indicator settings. Aviation analysts suggest the crew was flying an ARNAV visual approach, a procedure known for tight obstacle clearances due to the proximity of the New Jersey Turnpike. The NTSB has requested the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder to determine if the crew descended below the intended three-degree glide path. United Airlines has removed the flight crew from duty pending an internal investigation.