One injured after plane hits truck while landing in Newark

May 4, 2026

A United Airlines Boeing 767 aircraft arriving from Venice, Italy, struck a truck and streetlight while approaching Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday, causing minor injuries to the truck driver but landing safely with all 231 passengers and crew unharmed. The collision resulted in one of the aircraft's tires breaking through the truck's windscreen, injuring the driver with glass fragments in his arm and hand. United Airlines has launched a safety investigation and removed the flight crew from service pending the inquiry.

Who is affected

The truck driver (suffered minor injuries from glass in arm and hand)
231 passengers and crew aboard United Airlines flight (no injuries but experienced the incident)
United Airlines flight crew (removed from service)
United Airlines (conducting investigation and facing scrutiny)

What action is being taken

United Airlines is conducting a rigorous flight safety investigation
The flight crew has been removed from service as part of the investigation process
United's maintenance team is evaluating damage to the plane
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has sent an investigator
The NTSB has ordered United Airlines to provide the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder

Why it matters

This incident raises serious aviation safety concerns as commercial aircraft should not be making contact with ground vehicles or infrastructure during approach procedures. The collision indicates a potential deviation from proper flight path protocols that could have resulted in a catastrophic accident affecting hundreds of passengers. The investigation will be critical to understanding what caused the aircraft to fly dangerously low and preventing similar incidents that could endanger both air travelers and people on the ground.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC