A United Airlines flight struck a truck and a light pole on the New Jersey Turnpike upon its descent into Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday, with the driver sustaining only minor injuries.
Despite the collision, the flight of 221 passengers and 10 crew members landed safely, with the aircraft sustaining only moderate damage. The aircraft, a Boeing 767, originated from Venice, Italy. It also hit a light pole as it was coming in for landing.
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“Our maintenance team is evaluating damage to the aircraft and we will investigate how this occurred,” United Airlines said in a statement. “We will conduct a rigorous flight safety investigation into the incident and our crew has been removed from service as part of the process.”
The truck driver, Warren Boardley of Baltimore, was traveling northbound on the turnpike, delivering bread products for Bakers Express to a Newark airport depot.
One of the plane’s landing gear tires stuck the window of the truck, according to Chuck Paterakis, senior vice president of transportation and logistics and co-principal at Baltimore-based H&S Bakery, in a statement to CBS News.
Boardley was able to pull over after he was stuck, sustaining glass cuts to his arm and forearm. He was taken to the hospital following the incident and has since been released.
The Port Authority Police Department and New Jersey State Police responded to the scene, and an investigation from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board is ongoing.
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At the national level, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the event was “unacceptable” in an appearance on Fox Business.
“We have really well-trained pilots,” Duffy said. “This should never happen in America. An incident like this, we study and we learn from, and we take action on. That’s why America is the safest place to fly.”
