UMVA has learned that a United Airlines flight came perilously close to disaster last month when it flew alarmingly low and slow just before landing at Newark Liberty International Airport.
The harrowing incident occurred on May 3, when Flight 169, traveling from Venice, Italy, to New Jersey, struck a light pole and a tractor-trailer during its descent at around 2 p.m., narrowly avoiding catastrophe.
A dashcam video captured the heart-stopping moment when the Boeing 767-400 passenger jet collided with a Schmidt Bakery truck on the New Jersey Turnpike, sending shockwaves through the aircraft.
Miraculously, all 231 crew members and passengers escaped unharmed, and the plane landed safely following the incident, but the truck driver sustained minor injuries in the crash.
According to information obtained by UMVA, the aircraft was descending toward the airport when the crew experienced multiple runway changes before finally being assigned to runway 29, an 11-page preliminary report reveals.
The report noted that the flight was "normal until the descent," but as the plane neared the runway, its airspeed began to decay, prompting the first officer to warn the captain that the aircraft was "still slow and a little low," raising concerns about the safety of the landing.
The airplane descended dangerously low, reaching just 18 to 19 feet above ground level as it crossed over the Turnpike, putting the lives of everyone on board at risk.
In a split second, it struck a 15-foot-tall light pole on the turnpike just seconds before landing, the report said, leaving damage in its wake.
The crew heard a "thump," while flight attendants in the back heard a "loud bang" just before touchdown, and an onsite examination later revealed three punctures to the lower left aft fuselage and slash marks on one tire.
In the aftermath of the incident, United Airlines took swift action, issuing a safety alert explicitly warning pilots about using visual glideslope indicators—the lighting systems designed to provide visual guidance during approach and landing.
