United Airlines flight carrying 221 passengers hits truck and light pole while landing at Newark airport

A United Airlines plane struck both a light pole and tractor-trailer while landing at Newark Liberty International Airport.

As United Airlines Flight 169 descended onto the runway at Newark Airport on Sunday (May 3) it hit a light pole along the New Jersey turnpike, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The incident occurred at around 2PM on Runway 29, which runs perpendicular to the highway. Typically, landing planes fly over the turnpike at a low altitude.

The Boeing aircraft, travelling from Venice, Italy, landed "safely" and "taxied to the gate normally", according to a spokesperson for United Airlines.

There were 221 passengers and 10 crew members aboard the flight but none were injured in the collision.

A United Airlines plane struck a light pole as it landed at Newark Airport (Getty Stock Images)

The driver of the tractor-trailer was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, New Jersey State Police said.

"Our maintenance team is evaluating damage to the aircraft.

"We will conduct a rigorous flight safety investigation into the incident and our crew has been removed from service as part of the process," a United Airlines spokesperson added.

Witnesses captured a video of the collusion as it occurred, with footage showing the plane flying close to the road. A light pole looked to have snapped in half, with the bottom portion bent towards the runway.

An investigation into the incident has been launched and all airline crew have been "removed from service", according to the airline.

The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed the opening of the investigation in a statement shared on X, with an investigator scheduled to arrive on Monday (May 4).

A preliminary report is expected within 30 days.

It comes after another US airline seized trading after 34 years on Saturday (May 2) and immediately stopped all operations.

Spirit Airlines – known for its bright yellow planes – closed for good after failing to get a $500 million bail out from the Trump administration.

On Friday (May 1), President Trump said his administration had given the budget carrier a 'final proposal' for a taxpayer-funded takeover to prevent it from going under, yet a deal was not able to be reached.

US airline Spirit Airlines is closing down after operating for 34 years (Getty Stock Image)

The airline's closure is believed to have left around 17,000 jobs at risk.

The company said in an announcement on its website: "It is with great disappointment that on May 2, 2026, Spirit Airlines started an orderly wind-down of our operations, effective immediately.

"To our Guests: all flights have been canceled, and customer service is no longer available. We are proud of the impact of our ultra-low-cost model on the industry over the last 34 years and had hoped to serve our Guests for many years to come."

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