They were cornered. The plane was coming directly at them.
Plane's landing gear tire hit truck at 160+ mph while crossing turnpike; truck driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries from broken glass. Runway 29 sits less than 400 feet from busy highway; low-altitude landings occasionally startle drivers but incident marks rare direct collision.
- Boeing 767 traveling 160+ mph struck truck and pole on New Jersey Turnpike during Newark landing
- Truck driver Warren Boardley sustained non-life-threatening cuts from broken glass
- Runway 29 sits less than 400 feet from the turnpike; pilots initially unaware of pole strike
- Over 200 passengers and 10 crew aboard; all landed safely with no injuries
A United Airlines Boeing 767 landing at Newark airport struck a streetlight and tractor-trailer on the adjacent New Jersey Turnpike, injuring the truck driver. The aircraft landed safely with over 200 passengers aboard; the NTSB is investigating.
A United Airlines Boeing 767 descending toward Newark Liberty International Airport struck a streetlight and a tractor-trailer on the New Jersey Turnpike on Sunday afternoon, injuring the truck's driver in what authorities are treating as a rare direct collision between an aircraft and ground traffic.
The plane, arriving from Venice, Italy, was traveling at more than 160 miles per hour as it crossed the turnpike just outside the airport's perimeter. According to New Jersey State Police, a tire from the aircraft's landing gear and the underside of the fuselage made contact with both a utility pole and the truck. The impact dislodged the pole, which then struck a nearby Jeep. Warren Boardley, a driver for Schmidt Bakery who was heading north on the turnpike to deliver bread products to a Newark airport depot, sustained cuts to his arm from shattered glass but avoided serious injury. He was transported to a hospital and expected to be released the same evening.
Dashcam footage from Boardley's truck captures the moment of impact with stark clarity. The video shows the engine noise intensifying as the aircraft descended, then suddenly the landing gear tires strike the truck bed, the vehicle shaking violently as glass explodes inward. Another driver on the highway, Patrick Oyulu, witnessed the low-flying plane and the chaos that followed. "It was just coming directly in front of the truck," he told CNN. "I just saw smoke and debris. I think the truck was trying to evasively maneuver out of its way or something, but they were cornered."
The 767 carried more than 200 passengers and 10 crew members. Despite the collision with ground infrastructure, the aircraft landed safely and taxied to the gate without further incident. No passengers or crew were injured. United Airlines acknowledged the damage to the aircraft and said its maintenance team was evaluating the extent of the harm. The airline also announced that the crew would be removed from service pending investigation.
The incident has drawn immediate scrutiny from federal aviation authorities. The National Transportation Safety Board dispatched an investigator to Newark and announced plans to examine the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder. One detail stands out in preliminary accounts: the pilots and air traffic control did not appear to be aware that the plane had struck the light pole during landing. Air traffic control communications captured by LiveATC.net show that controllers continued to issue normal taxi instructions to the 767 as other aircraft proceeded to land on the same runway.
Runway 29, where the landing occurred, sits less than 400 feet from the edge of the heavily trafficked New Jersey Turnpike. The runway is not in constant use, but when wind conditions align, it can accommodate numerous landings in succession, a reality that occasionally startles drivers on the highway below as aircraft pass overhead at low altitude. Sunday's collision, however, represents something far more serious than the usual surprise of a plane passing overhead. It raises questions about the adequacy of current safety protocols when active runways sit so close to major ground transportation corridors, and whether pilots and controllers have sufficient awareness of potential hazards in such proximity.
Citas Notables
It was just coming directly in front of the truck. I just saw smoke and debris. I think the truck was trying to evasively maneuver out of its way or something, but they were cornered.— Patrick Oyulu, witness driver on the turnpike
The aircraft landed safely, taxied to the gate normally and no passengers or crew were injured. Our maintenance team is evaluating damage to the aircraft.— United Airlines statement
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How does a plane even make contact with a truck on a highway during landing? Isn't there supposed to be separation?
Runway 29 at Newark sits less than 400 feet from the turnpike. When the 767 descended at 160 miles per hour, its landing gear tire caught the truck. The pole came down after. It's a geometry problem.
Did the pilots know they'd hit something?
No. The recordings show air traffic control kept issuing normal taxi instructions. The pilots weren't aware the pole had come down. That's part of what the NTSB will examine.
What about the truck driver? How bad was it?
Warren Boardley got cuts from broken glass when the tire struck his cab. Non-life-threatening. He was able to pull over and get to a hospital. He was lucky—the impact could have been much worse.
Does this happen often?
Not like this. Planes pass low over the turnpike regularly enough that drivers know it happens. But a direct strike? That's rare. It's forcing people to ask whether the runway location is actually safe.
What happens now?
The NTSB investigates. They'll listen to the cockpit recordings, examine the flight data, figure out why the descent profile brought the plane into contact with ground infrastructure. The airline has already grounded the crew pending investigation.