What to Know
- A United flight with more than 230 people aboard hit a bakery company’s tractor-trailer on the NJ Turnpike Sunday, damaging the plane and the vehicle in a shocking incident caught on dashcam.
- The driver of the tractor-trailer got glass in his hand and arm, but is expected to make a full recovery.
- Video shows his view at the moment of impact; he goes from singing to himself to a blur; now new surveillance video shows what the view looked like from the outside
- United said in a statement that it will conduct a “rigorous safety inspection” regarding what went wrong; the airline says the entire crew has been pulled from service in the meantime
- The NTSB and FAA are investigating. The former has classified the incident as an accident. The investigation is ongoing
Just when you thought the video couldn’t get more shocking: Newly surfaced security camera footage shows a view of the NJ Turnpike as a United jet clips a tractor-trailer and a light pole on its descent into Newark.
Video appears to show the view from Newark Airport as it happens.
In it, Flight 169, arriving from Venice, Italy, is seen in slow motion approaching the runways — at the same time a bakery truck is traveling up the Turnpike a few hundred feet from them.
Video appears to show the plane knock the tractor-trailer with its landing gear on its final approach. It also knocks down a light pole. The truck driver was able to pull over. His window was shattered.
More stunning footage: Dashcam video captures the sound and scene inside the truck cab during the moment of impact. The driver appears to be singing to himself. There’s a loud whistling that sounds like a jet landing.
Then the plane’s landing gear tire hits.
The flight landed safely at Newark. None of the 231 people aboard were hurt. Photos obtained by NBC New York show damage to the plane, though.
Photos show plane damage
The truck was operating for Schmidt Bakery, a Baltimore, Maryland-based company, a representative for the parent company said. It was distributing goods to Newark at the time of the incident.
One of the photos shows a gash in the belly of the plane.
Another shows damage to the tires.
Photos also show a light pole knocked to the ground after the plane clipped it.
The tractor-trailer’s windshield was smashed.
‘It could’ve been worse’
Chuck Paterakis, senior vice president of transportation and logistics at H&S Bakery, the parent company of Schmidt Bakery, said the driver suffered minor injuries, including glass in his arm and hand. He is expected to make a full recovery.
“It’s a miracle. It could have been traumatically worse,” Paterakis said.
The brief clip shows the view from inside the truck cab as it happens.
The plane also hit a light pole just before the impact with the truck, authorities said. That pole flew into a Jeep, though no one was hurt in the SUV.
United Airlines said the Flight 169 crew was removed from service pending an investigation.
“We will conduct a rigorous flight safety investigation into the incident,” United said in a statement Sunday night.
The FAA and the National Transportation Board are also investigating.
An NTSB representative arrived at the scene Monday. The agency says the incident has been classified as an accident because of the extent of damage to the plane.
Its investigation will examine multiple factors, including flight operations, meteorological conditions, human performance, crew resource management, aircraft performance, and air traffic control.
Sunday’s incident came after another United flight coming into Newark was forced to declare an emergency Saturday night, that time due to an unruly passenger.
