United Airlines Boeing 767 jet hits light pole, truck while landing at Newark

A United Airlines jet with 231 passengers and crew escaped a major disaster on Sunday after one of its wheels clipped a light post and truck on a highway while on final approach to land in New Jersey.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials said the Boeing 767 landed safely at Newark Liberty International Airport after arriving from Venice, Italy, and the agency would investigate the incident.

A preliminary investigation from New Jersey State Police said “while a United Airlines Aircraft was approaching the runway, a landing tire and the underside of the plane collided with a pole and a tractor-trailer”.

“The pole then struck a Jeep” that was also travelling the highway, state police said.

No injuries were reported on the plane, and the delivery truck driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and released, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a statement.

United Airlines flight 169 was carrying 221 passengers and 10 crew members when the incident on a section of road near the airport runways occurred around 2pm local time on Sunday.