By Doyinsola Oladipo
NEW YORK, May 3 (Reuters) – A United Airlines aircraft on Sunday struck a light pole on its final descent into Newark International Airport causing damage to the post and a tractor trailer traveling on a nearby highway, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.
While on approach to land at Newark Liberty International Airport, United Airlines Flight 169 struck a light pole on the New Jersey Turnpike around 2 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The Boeing 767-400 landed safely and was arriving from Venice, Italy, the FAA said.
“Our maintenance team is evaluating damage to the aircraft,” said a United spokesperson. “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 Port Authority said no injuries were reported on the plane while minor damage to the aircraft was observed. Airport staff inspected the runway for debris and normal operations were quickly resumed, according to a spokesperson.
The tractor trailer driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and has since been released, the Port Authority added.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board have launched an investigation into the incident.
An NTSB investigator is scheduled to arrive in Newark on Monday, according to a spokesperson. The agency said it has directed United Airlines to secure and provide both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder to support the investigation.
(Reporting by Doyinsola Oladipo in New York and Katharine Jackson in Washington, additional reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
