First officer of United flight that hit light pole on New Jersey Turnpike told captain he was “slow and a little low,” NTSB says

The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report on a United Airlines plane that struck a light pole on the New Jersey Turnpike in May. 

Debris from the light pole smashed into a passing tractor trailer, the NTSB report says. It was initially believed the plane’s landing gear had come into contact with the Baltimore-based truck. 

The plane landed safely at Newark Liberty International Airport.

Truck damaged by light pole

The report finds that United Airlines flight 169 was making its final approach to runway 29 at Newark Liberty International Airport at 1:50 p.m. back on May 3 when it struck a light pole. 

“Debris from the light pole subsequently impacted a tractor-trailer traveling southbound on the New Jersey turnpike,” the NTSB wrote in the report. 

The moment of impact was caught on dashcam video in the truck. 

The NTSB said there was no evidence of tire marks on either tractor or the cab of the truck. 

“Hey, you are slow”

The runway the plane was to land on was changed three times as they approached Newark. The captain said he was not concerned about the change in the runway.

The first officer called out “airspeed slow” as they approached the runway, the captain told the NTSB. He told the NTSB he didn’t receive any alerts about windshear, and thought the plane was was in a safe position as it approached to land, according to the report. 

When the plane hit 500 feet, the first officer told the NTSB he told the captain, “Hey you are slow” and “You are still slow and a little low.” 

The captain said he looked around and, “I thought we were low,” but they were just about to land. 

The captain told NTSB investigators “he heard a thump” just before they landed, and the first officer said he felt a mild jolt. Another member of the plane’s crew said he heard a thump a second or two before landing. Flight attendants in the rear of the plane said they heard a loud bang just prior to landing. 

Damage to the plane

Once the plane landed and was parked at the gate, the captain went outside to check the plane. Investigators found that it suffered three punctures to the lower leftt aft fuselage, including one gash that was nearly four feet long and four inches wide. In addition to the two smaller punctures, there were also dents and creases. The NTSB characterized the damage to the plane as “substantial.” 

Read the NTSB’s preliminary report