UA169 - Accident: United B764 at Newark on May 3rd 2026

A United Boeing 767-400, registration N77066 performing flight UA-169 from Venice (Italy) to Newark,NJ (USA) with 220 passengers and 11 crew, performed a circling visual approach to runway 29, tower reported the winds from 320 degrees at 12 knots gusts 24. When crossing over I95 about 220 meters/720 feet before the runway threshold the aircraft contacted one of the light poles of the I95 and the trailer of a bakery delivery truck with its landing gear and its underbelly. The aircraft continued for a landing without further incident. The aircraft taxied to the apron maintaining routine communication. The crew reported subsequently, they felt something right over the threshold and there is a hole in the side of the aircraft. There were no injuries on board of the aircraft, the truck driver received minor injuries, the truck and the aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The NTSB announced they are investigating the occurrence. The NTSB later stated the occurrence "has been classified as an accident due to the extent of damage to the airplane." An investigator has arrived to conduct interviews with the flight crew.

The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT STRUCK A POLE ON THE NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE, NEWARK, NJ." and stated there was one minor injury on the ground.

Ob Jun 5th 2026 the NTSB released their preliminary report summarizing the sequence of events:

On May 3, 2026, about 13:50 eastern daylight time (EDT), United Airlines flight 169, Boeing B767-424ER, N77066, struck a light pole on the New Jersey turnpike while on final approach to runway 29 at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), Newark, New Jersey. Debris from the light pole subsequently impacted a tractor-trailer traveling southbound on the New Jersey turnpike. The airplane landed and taxied to the gate without further incident. The 3 flight crew members, 8 cabin crew members and 220 passengers deplaned at the gate without any injury.

The driver of the tractor-trailer sustained minor injuries. The damage to the airplane was substantial

The NTSB stated in more detail:

The captain stated they had no CRM [crew resource management] issues on the flight. The captain was not concerned about the approach. He stated that he expected to fly the final portion of the approach at 3 red and 1 white on the Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI).

This was his desired sight picture for runway 29. The CVR did not capture any discussion of PAPI lights for runway 29 prior to landing.

The captain stated that he turned off the autopilot and the auto-throttles at approximately 880 ft MSL or just around AXELL. He said that he “got fast” while he turned the airplane into the headwind and pulled the power levers back to compensate. The airplane shortly returned to a stable airspeed even though the wind gusts were producing “moderate turbulence.”

The captain stated he heard the first officer call out “airspeed slow” while on short final (inside ½ mile). He mentioned that he did not receive any windshear alerts and that he always felt that the airplane was in a safe position to land. He responded to the automated 500 ft callout with the statement “stable”.

At 500 ft, the first officer stated, they were on speed and on profile, and the captain was maintaining his planned profile of 3 red and 1 white on the PAPI. Once again, the CVR did not capture any discussion of PAPI lights for runway 29 prior to landing. Additionally, the captain, as the PF, was looking outside the airplane, and the first officer as the PM was “more committed to being inside the airplane, looking for trends.”

As they descended, the airspeed began to decay, and the first officer recalled that he stated, “hey you are slow,” followed moments later by, “you are still slow and a little low.” The PM then looked back outside, and at that point recalled “I thought we were low”, however they were just about to touch down, and he didn’t process the information in time to get a go-around callout verbalized. The airplane landed, taxied to the gate, and all passengers and crew deplaned normally.

The captain stated that just before touchdown “he heard a thump”. The first officer recalled feeling a mild jolt as they neared the threshold. The relief officer stated that he heard an audible thump as they went over the airport boundary a second or two before landing. After the flight landed, the purser called the flight deck and said the aft flight attendants heard a loud bang just prior to landing.

After parking at the gate, the captain went outside to assess the airplane and found damage along the aft fuselage.