NEWARK, N.J. — A United Airlines Boeing 767-400ER struck a light pole and a bread delivery truck on the New Jersey Turnpike during its final approach to Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday afternoon. The aircraft was arriving from Venice, Italy, on a scheduled transatlantic passenger flight.
The aircraft carried more than 200 passengers and 10 crew members. No one aboard sustained injuries. United Airlines confirmed the passenger count in a statement to media outlets on May 3. When the jet came in low, it clipped a light pole. The pole fell and struck a Jeep. State Police reported no injuries to the Jeep's occupants.
The truck driver, Warren Boardley of Baltimore, cut his arm and forearm on shattered glass. He was hauling bread products to a Newark airport depot with a tractor-trailer for Baker's Express, a logistics subsidiary of H&S Family of Bakeries. Doctors released him later that day.
Flight tracking data show the aircraft landed at approximately 1:50 PM on May 3, 2026, as United Flight 169 completed its arrival from Venice. The aircraft, registration N77066, approached Runway 29 on final approach.
Runway 29 is the shortest runway at Newark, at 6,725 feet. The runway sits at the northern edge of the airport and its approach path crosses the NJ Turnpike at Interchange 14. According to aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo, the airport generally uses this runway only in strong winds.
New Jersey State Police responded to the Turnpike scene at 1:58 p.m. The NJ Turnpike Authority arrived that evening to conduct inspections alongside FAA officials. Port Authority staff inspected Runway 29 for debris and the airport resumed normal operations.
The National Transportation Safety Board classified the event as an accident due to the extent of damage to the aircraft and an investigator arrived on Monday. The agency directed United to preserve the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder. The NTSB has not issued a preliminary report as of writing; it typically publishes one within 30 days. Investigators will review the preserved recorders as part of the accident probe.
A METAR, an official aviation weather observation from the FAA's automated surface observing system at Newark, recorded conditions at 1:51 PM, approximately the time of the incident. The report showed 10 statute miles of visibility and a broken cloud ceiling at 7,500 feet. The wind blew from 290 degrees at 23 knots, gusting to 32 knots, about 37 miles per hour. The 1:51 p.m. observation is the closest official weather record to the moment of impact. No special weather observation appeared at the exact time of the incident.
Runway 29 runs at a heading of approximately 290 degrees, meaning the wind blew essentially as a direct headwind. That alignment explains why the runway was active that afternoon: headwinds are frequently used to slow a landing aircraft. The 767-400ER is a heavy widebody aircraft. Landing one in ideal conditions, let alone a 6,725-foot runway in 32-knot gusting conditions, demands precision.
The FAA Airport/Facility Directory documents one obstacle in the Runway 29 approach surface: a 54-foot lighted sign, 818 feet from the runway threshold and 514 feet right of centerline. The sign sits within the approach surface, the protected corridor of airspace that extends outward from the runway and must remain clear for landing aircraft. The NTSB has not stated whether the aircraft struck this sign. The jet hit a light pole on the Turnpike, approximately 720 feet from the runway. The two objects are roughly 100 feet apart. The Turnpike light pole is not listed as a documented approach obstacle.
This is not the first time Runway 29 has drawn federal safety scrutiny. In 2006, a Continental Airlines Boeing 757-224 conducting a circle-to-land approach to Runway 29 touched down on taxiway Zulu instead of the runway. The NTSB found technicians had set the runway edge lights dimmer than the taxiway lights, leading the pilots to align with the wrong surface. The incident prompted changes to runway and taxiway lighting intensity settings at Newark.
The FAA implemented a new GPS-based approach procedure and the approach chart still carries a warning: "Use caution when turning on final approach to ensure you are correctly aligned with Rwy 29." That 2006 incident involved a different aircraft type and a different failure mode, a landing alignment error, not a ground obstacle strike. It has no relation to Sunday’s event.
Four agencies intersect at the coordinate where the aircraft hit the pole. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operates Newark Liberty. The NJ Turnpike Authority operates the highway. The FAA regulates the airspace and approach paths. The NTSB investigates accidents. Each operates within its own statutory domain, and the NTSB investigation will determine whether any coordination issue contributed to the incident.
United Airlines removed the flight crew from service pending the investigation, which the airline described as part of a rigorous flight safety investigation. The Air Line Pilots Association did not issue a public statement on the incident as of writing. No member of the New Jersey congressional delegation has issued a public statement on the incident as of May 5, nor has any comment from the Essex County Executive or Newark Mayor’s office.
Dashcam footage from the tractor-trailer shows the moment the aircraft's landing gear struck the truck. Separate cellphone video recorded by other motorists shows the aircraft at low altitude as it crossed the Turnpike. The NTSB investigation will determine which evidence investigators review. Chuck Paterakis, senior vice president of transportation and logistics at H&S Bakeries, told reporters the trailer sustained no damage and the bread cargo remained intact. He provided the dashcam footage to NorthJersey.com and said the company was cooperating with investigators.
The aircraft landed safely, taxied to the gate and deplaned normally. As of May 4 the NTSB investigator had begun interviewing the flight crew and examining the aircraft. Maintenance crews had begun evaluating damage to the 767-400ER. The FAA confirmed it is investigating the incident. United said maintenance crews were evaluating damage to the aircraft as of May 4.
Federal records already contain the weather data, the regulatory records and the approach-path history. A commercial jet on a short runway in 32-knot gusting winds came down low enough to hit a light pole on the New Jersey Turnpike. The strike occurred in daylight with 10 miles of visibility.
The NTSB will determine why the aircraft was at that altitude. Federal records already held the physical conditions that put a plane, a pole and the Turnpike in the same airspace. For now, the investigation continues.
Related Articles
• Newark Liberty International Faces Back-to-Back Safety Incidents Amid Operational Strain
• After Q1 Layoffs, Q2 Opens With Another Blow: Spirit Airlines Shutdown Hits New Jersey
• The Flood Risk Cascade: New Jersey's $435.9 Billion Infrastructure Exposure
• Sherrill: Trump ICE Plan for Newark Airport Skirts Federal Law, Agents Lack Training
Sources
• National Transportation Safety Board, "NTSB Report NYC07IA015," NTSB (2007)
• Federal Aviation Administration, "Airport/Facility Directory: Northeast U.S.," FAA (current edition), entry for Newark Liberty International (KEWR)
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, "METAR KEWR 031751Z," NOAA (May 3, 2026), via Aviation Safety Network
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, "METAR KEWR 031851Z," NOAA (May 3, 2026), via CheckWX
• NPR, "United Airlines flight strikes truck and light pole on New Jersey Turnpike," NPR (May 4, 2026)
• ABC7 New York, "United flight clips truck, light pole on NJ Turnpike during landing at Newark Airport," ABC7 (May 4, 2026)
•Fortune, "United flight clips truck and light pole on New Jersey Turnpike during landing at Newark Airport," Fortune (May 4, 2026)
• NJ.com, "Terrifying moment United plane hits pole, truck deemed accidental," NJ.com (May 4, 2026)
• NorthJersey.com, "United flight clips truck, light pole on NJ Turnpike during landing at Newark Airport," NorthJersey.com (May 4, 2026)
• CBS News, "United flight clips truck and light pole on New Jersey Turnpike during landing at Newark Airport," CBS News (May 4, 2026)
• AVHerald, "Incident: United B764 at Newark on May 3rd 2026, aircraft collided with pole and truck on final approach," AVHerald (May 3, 2026)
• United Airlines, Statement to Media (May 3, 2026)
• New Jersey State Police, Statement to NJ.com (May 3, 2026)
• ALPA, "United MEC Announces New Officers," ALPA (January 13, 2026)