United Airlines jet hits light pole while landing at Newark Liberty Airport

Federal authorities have launched an investigation after a United Airlines Boeing 767 passenger jet struck a light pole on the New Jersey Turnpike while landing at Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday afternoon.

The incident occurred around 2 p.m. EDT as United Airlines Flight 169, arriving from Venice, Italy, was on its final approach to the airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Despite the collision, the aircraft landed safely with no reported injuries among passengers or crew members.

“The aircraft landed safely, taxied to the gate normally and no passengers or crew were injured,” United Airlines stated in their official response to the incident. The airline confirmed that their maintenance team is currently evaluating the extent of damage to the aircraft.

As part of standard safety protocols, United has removed the flight crew from active duty while conducting what they described as a “rigorous” flight safety investigation to determine how the plane came to strike infrastructure adjacent to the airport perimeter.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced via social media platform X that it has opened a formal investigation into the incident. An NTSB investigator is expected to arrive in Newark on Monday to begin examining evidence and circumstances surrounding the collision.

The safety agency has instructed United Airlines to preserve and provide both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder—commonly known as the “black boxes”—for analysis. These devices capture crucial information about the aircraft’s systems, flight path, and cockpit communications that will be essential to determining what led to the incident.

According to the NTSB, a preliminary report on the incident is expected to be released within 30 days, though complete aviation accident investigations typically take months to conclude.

The incident raises questions about flight paths and safety buffers around Newark Liberty International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the United States and a major hub for United Airlines. The New Jersey Turnpike runs parallel to the airport’s runways, separated by only a security fence and a narrow buffer zone in some areas.

Aviation safety experts note that aircraft on final approach are at their most vulnerable phase of flight, operating at low speeds and altitudes while configuring for landing. Weather conditions, visibility, and potential pilot fatigue after a transatlantic flight will likely be examined as potential contributing factors.

This incident comes amid increased scrutiny of aviation safety following several high-profile incidents involving Boeing aircraft in recent months, though there is no immediate indication that aircraft manufacturing issues played any role in this particular event.

United Airlines operates one of the largest fleets of Boeing 767 aircraft in the world. The 767 is a wide-body, twin-engine jet commonly used for longer international routes such as the transatlantic Venice to Newark service involved in this incident.

The FAA maintains strict regulations regarding approach patterns and minimum safe altitudes for commercial aircraft, especially around densely populated areas like the New York metropolitan region. Any deviation from these standards would be a central focus of the ongoing investigation.

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates Newark Liberty International Airport, has not yet issued a statement regarding the incident or any potential impact on airport operations.