Transportation

NTSB to investigate United plane that struck pole on NJ Turnpike

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by Tara Suter - 05/03/26 9:36 PM ET

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by Tara Suter - 05/03/26 9:36 PM ET

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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Sunday said it will investigate a United Airlines plane that struck a pole on the New Jersey Turnpike.

“The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into Sunday’s incident involving United Airlines Flight 169, a Boeing 767-400 operating from Venice to Newark, which struck a light pole while on approach to Newark Liberty International Airport,” the NTSB said in a post on the social platform X on Sunday.

In a statement Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that as the flight from Italy was preparing to land at Newark, the United flight “struck a light pole on the New Jersey Turnpike” on Sunday afternoon. The FAA said the plane “landed safely” and that the agency will also investigate.

United said in its own statement emailed late Sunday that flight 169 “taxied to the gate normally” and that “no passengers or crew were injured.”

“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,” United added.

A truck traveling on the highway at the time was hit by the pole, sending the driver to the hospital with minor injuries, according to reports.

Just last week, a United Airlines flight reported a midair collision between the plane and what appeared to be a drone in the San Diego area.

“United flight 1980 reported a possible drone strike just prior to arriving in San Diego. The flight landed safely, and customers deplaned normally at the gate. Our maintenance team found no damage after thoroughly inspecting the aircraft,” United said in a Wednesday statement to The Hill’s sister network NewsNation.

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