Reports have emerged that a United Airlines flight collided with a delivery truck on the New Jersey Turnpike, almost triggering a sizeable crash. The incident occurred on May 3, as the aircraft attempted to land at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).
A Close Call Over the Turnpike
A United Airlines flight almost caused a significant crash accident on Sunday, May 3, when the aircraft’s landing gear struck the side of a bakery delivery truck just before landing at EWR in New Jersey, in the U.S. United Flight 169, a Boeing 767-400ER, was flying into the international airport from Venice, Italy. While carrying 221 passengers and 10 crew members, the aircraft was reportedly approaching the airport’s runway at a dangerously low altitude as it prepared to touch down.
In several pieces of footage posted to social media, the wide-body jet can be seen descending alarmingly close to the delivery truck, which was travelling along the New Jersey Turnpike towards a New Jersey bakery depot when it was struck. In particular, the dashcam footage from inside the delivery truck has since gone viral. In it, the driver can be seen glancing out of the right window of the truck seconds before the aircraft wheels hit the vehicle, and a nearby light pole.
Despite the collision, the flight crew was able to land the aircraft safely, and no passengers or crew members were injured. The driver, who has been identified as Warren Boardley, suffered non life threatening injuries, including cuts and abrasions, and was quickly transported to a nearby hospital to receive medical attention. Boardley is expected to be released from hospital late on May 4, according to the airport’s operator, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Why Fly So Low?
Since the incident, United Airlines has launched a full investigation, addressing the dangerous breach of safety protocols. On top of this, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have both launched their own investigations to ascertain the reason that the aircraft was flying significantly underneath the standard glide path for the runway, which runs perpendicular with the New Jersey Turnpike.
Runway 29 is notorious among pilots for its unforgivingly tight approach, which leaves very minimal margin for error towards touchdown, making the investigations even more urgent to prevent a more serious incident from occurring in the future.
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