- A United Airlines flight from Venice was 19 feet above a New Jersey highway when it struck a gentle pole in May.
- The first officer warned the captain the plane was flying too low and sluggish throughout reasonable turbulence.
- The Boeing 767 was flying under the traditional glide path for three-quarters of a mile earlier than touchdown at Newark.
AI-generated abstract was reviewed by a NCS editor.
The United Airlines flight that struck a light pole whereas touchdown at Newark Liberty International Airport was simply 19 feet above the middle of the New Jersey Turnpike moments earlier than landing, in line with a preliminary report launched by the National Transportation Safety Board Thursday.
Flight knowledge launched by the NTSB exhibits the plane remained under the traditional glide path for roughly the ultimate three-quarters of a mile earlier than the runway.
The incident occurred in May as United Flight 169 was arriving from Venice, Italy. It crossed over the New Jersey Turnpike on strategy going greater than 160 miles per hour, in line with flight monitoring website FlightRadar24, when a tire from the aircraft’s touchdown gear and the underside of the aircraft collided with a pole.
At the time, the New Jersey State Police said the aircraft additionally struck a tractor-trailer, however the NTSB discovered the injury to the truck was truly attributable to particles from the pole.
No proof of tire marks was discovered on the tractor-trailer, the report said. The driver of the tractor-trailer sustained non-life-threatening accidents. The pole additionally struck a Jeep, in line with the New Jersey State Police.
On May 3, because the aircraft was making ready to land, the captain said he “turned off the autopilot and the auto-throttles” and “said that he ‘got fast’ while he turned the airplane into the headwind,” the report says.
He “pulled the power levers back to compensate,” and the aircraft “returned to a stable airspeed,” with wind gusts “producing ‘moderate turbulence,’” the NTSB reported.
Investigators stated the primary officer warned the captain, who was flying the Boeing 767, the plane was “slow” and “a little low” on strategy. Multiple crewmembers later informed investigators they heard or felt one thing irregular because the aircraft was touchdown.
The pilot stated he “heard a thump,” the primary officer stated he felt a “mild jolt,” and flight attendants on the rear of the aircraft stated they “heard a loud bang,” the report particulars.
There have been greater than 200 passengers and 11 crew members on the Boeing 767, however nobody onboard was harm, and the aircraft landed usually.
When the NTSB arrived on-site, they discovered three punctures to the decrease left facet of the again of the airplane. The punctures affected all three components of the fuselage construction, making the injury “substantial,” the NTSB stated. There have been additionally slashes by means of one of many aircraft’s tires.
The pilots and air site visitors management didn’t look like conscious the aircraft had struck the sunshine pole upon touchdown, in line with recordings of air site visitors management communications captured by LiveATC.net.
The aircraft was touchdown on Newark’s Runway 29, which begins lower than 400 feet from the sting of the busy New Jersey Turnpike. The runway will not be at all times used, however when wind circumstances are proper, it can see quite a few landings, which may startle drivers as planes go at low altitudes over the highway.
The NTSB continues to be investigating, and a last report can be launched after the investigation concludes.