United Airlines Plane Incident at Newark Liberty International Airport

A United Airlines pilot reported hearing a ‘thump’ just before landing at Newark Liberty International Airport last month. He was unaware that the aircraft had clipped a light pole, which subsequently crashed onto a tractor-trailer, injuring the driver. This was revealed in a report released by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The co-pilot had alerted the pilot that the plane was flying ‘still slow and a little low’ as they descended over the New Jersey Turnpike on a gusty Sunday afternoon. The aircraft, a Boeing 767 with 220 passengers on board from Venice, had to adjust its route to land into the wind. The landing strip begins just west of the turnpike. The report noted that the 15-foot-tall light pole struck by the plane was positioned along the southbound side of the turnpike.

None of the passengers or the 11 crew members on board were injured. However, the plane sustained significant damage, including three punctures to its fuselage; one was nearly four feet long. Investigators also discovered slash marks on a landing gear tire on the plane’s left side.

The truck, transporting bread and rolls, suffered large holes in its windshield and a significant puncture in its trailer. The report mentioned, ‘There was no evidence of tire marks on either the tractor cab or trailer.’

The driver, Warren Boardley, was taken to a hospital with minor injuries and was later released. Neither Boardley’s employer, Northeast Foods in Baltimore, nor his lawyer, J. Wyndal Gordon, provided comments on Thursday.