The National Transportation Safety Board says the captain of a United Airlines flight from Venice, Italy was flying too slow and too low before landing last month at Newark Liberty International Airport.
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A United jet struck a light pole and a truck near Newark airport, police say
The Boeing 767 struck a light pole on the New Jersey Turnpike adjacent to the runway, damaging a tractor-trailer truck. The driver sustained minor injuries. None of the 231 people on the jet were injured.
Dashcam video footage showed the moment the passenger flew over the truck. The plane’s landing gear passes just above the cab, followed by the sounds of the light pole hitting the truck.
VIDEO: I just obtained this dash cam video from H&S Bakery. It shows the moment a United Airlines plane crashes into his driver’s side window on the NJ Turnpike near Newark Liberty. @wjz pic.twitter.com/AR0AWKHmJ5
— Tara Lynch (@thetaralynch) May 4, 2026
In its 11-page of the May 3, 2026 accident, the NTSB said the flight from Venice was “normal until the descent.” Investigators say the flight crew planned to land on runway 4R but the landing was changed to a different runway, and then, the runway was changed again, to runway 29.
The captain was flying the aircraft while the first officer monitored the flight instruments during the gusty approach. The NTSB said, “As they descended, the airspeed began to decay, and the first officer recalled that he stated, ‘hey you are slow,’ followed moments later by, ‘you are still slow and a little low.'”
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The NTSB tries to keep cockpit audio recordings private. AI is making that harder
The captain stated he heard the first officer call out “airspeed slow” but said he felt the airplane was in a safe position to land, according to the NTSB.
Investigators said the captain “heard a thump” just before touchdown, and the first officer felt a “mild jolt” as they neared the runway threshold. The jet crossed over the turnpike at 19 feet above the ground. After parking at the gate, the plane was found to have three punctures on the fuselage. One of the tires on the landing gear had “slash marks.”
The NTSB says that after the accident, United reminded its pilots landing at Newark to use the visual glideslope indicators next to the runway to ensure safe obstruction clearances.
Asked for comment about the NTSB report and whether the captain remains on flight status, a United spokesperson told NPR, “We don’t have anything to share.”
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The final NTSB investigation is expected to be complete within a year.