On May 3, 2026, United Airlines Flight 169 (Boeing 767-400) hits the bakery truck and a light pole on the bridge during its final approach to Newark’s Runway 29. The aircraft landed safely, and no injuries were reported on board. The crew has been removed from duty for making a low approach, as they are ultimately responsible for the accident.
Flight 169 departed from Venice, Italy, with 221 passengers and 10 crew members on board. It was around 1:50 PM, and the pilot was approaching runway 29, which means that the aircraft had to overfly I-95, the New Jersey Turnpike. Just before the landing, the aircraft apparently hit a lightning pole as well as the roof of this truck’s trailer, and there are also reports of other vehicles being damaged by debris. The truck driver was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, while the aircraft itself landed safely.
Key Facts
- Airline: United Airlines (Flight 169)
- Aircraft: Boeing 767-400
- Location: New Jersey Turnpike near Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
- Date: May 3, 2026
- Status: Plane landed safely; truck driver injured
Did the Pilots know they Hit the Truck?
The pilot sounded “light-hearted” while communicating with ATC just after landing; there is no change of tone or cadence, which likely suggests that pilots did not know about the hit. The impact sound would likely be felt as landing gear compression.
The accident would have been avoided if the pilots had said “unable” when they were offered a shot at a challenging runway for a wide-body aircraft.
Why was Pilot Flying so Low? The “Runway 29” Challenge
The pilot was having an RNAV approach while approaching Newark Runway 29. The runway was only 6,725 ft long, and on such a short runway, pilots sometimes “Drag it in” at a flatter angle so that the aircraft would properly hit the touchdown zone at the runway. This would cause the pilot to fly the aircraft low.
Landing on runway 29 often involves making a visual approach from the north with a right turn just before lining up with the runway.
On that particular day, the New York tower was reporting winds coming from 320 degrees at 12 knots, gusting 24, conditions that could make such an approach more challenging than usual.
No GPWS Warning
The aircraft was having an RNAV approach, not a precision ILS Approach. The system would not say glideslope, but might say too low terrain, which won’t trigger if it is skimmed.
All runways are designed with very strict obstacle clearance margins. And if an obstacle is deemed to infringe on those margins, displaced thresholds are introduced, meaning that all runway markings, including the touchdown zone, are moved forward into the runway, which the runway 2-9 threshold also was.
It’s also worth mentioning here that this is by far Newark’s shortest runway, only 2,050 meters or 6,725 feet long, when the other runways are well over 3,000 meters, where prompt pilots get down early to start braking.
The PAPI Light Problem at Runway 29
PAPI (Precision Approach Path Indicator) are the lights at the runway that guide the pilot while landing. For the perfect approach, the lights would be 2 white and 2 red. If all 4 lights are red, then the aircraft is dangerously low.
Pilots always use PAPI to keep a stabilized vertical profile and pass the runway threshold at a minimum of 50 feet or 15 meters, to aim for a touchdown point.
PAPI lights are normally on the left side of the runway, but on Runway 29, they were on the right side. A widebody 767 pilot might not be looking to the right side, potentially missing the “four reds” warning.
NTSB and FAA Investigation
The NTSB team classified it as an “accident” and is leading the investigation. The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder were extracted for the analysis. The preliminary report is expected within 30 days.
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