Federal investigators are looking into an incident where a United Airlines aircraft collided with a lighting fixture while approaching Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday afternoon.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, United Airlines Flight 169 made contact with a light pole situated on the nearby New Jersey Turnpike around 2 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday. The Boeing 767, which had departed from Venice, Italy, completed its landing without further incident, the FAA reported.
In a company statement, United confirmed that Flight 169 “came into contact with a light pole” during its final descent into Newark.
“The aircraft landed safely, taxied to the gate normally and no passengers or crew were injured,” the airline stated.
United officials indicated their maintenance personnel are assessing any damage to the plane, while the flight crew has been temporarily grounded pending what the company described as a “rigorous” safety review.
The National Transportation Safety Board announced through a post on X that it has launched its own inquiry into the occurrence. An NTSB investigator is scheduled to arrive in Newark on Monday, and the agency has requested United turn over both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder for examination. Officials expect to release a preliminary report within 30 days.
