It turns out that United Boeing 767-400 that hit a light pole on the New Jersey Turnpike last month never made contact with the bread truck, and all the mayhem that occurred in the dashcam video was caused by the pole hitting the truck. The NTSB has released its preliminary report on the mishap, which resulted in minor injuries to the driver and major damage to the truck. Flight recorder data shows the plane went over the busy expressway as low as 19 feet AGL before it took out the 15-foot light pole, which then hit the truck. There were no tire marks on the truck or trailer. The captain was flying and received two verbal warnings from the first officer that he was low and slow on the gusty approach to Newark Liberty Airport’s Runway 29.
The runway, which was a last-minute change by ATC, is Newark’s shortest and only used on windy days. The captain said he was initially a little fast as he turned for the runway and reduced power but when the radio altimeter called out 500 feet AGL he responded “Stable.” The first officer was watching the screens and as the plane neared the runway the report says he “recalled that he stated, ‘hey you are slow,’ followed moments later by ‘you are still slow and a little low.’” He recalled he thought the plane was low but didn’t have time to call for a go-around. Both pilots felt the impact with the light pole and flight attendants all heard a loud noise just before touchdown.
Pretty sure the result will be the same as in the Navy when a Skipper allows the ship to touch earth. Low, slow and hit something will not be a career assist.
I suspect “ducking under” is more common than you’d think. I flew corporate with a former airline captain who routinely flew below the VGSI on visual approaches. He let me know he was doing it on purpose and could see the runway. After a while I stopped calling it out…. and eventually opted out.
Who put that highway and that truck so close to our final approach path?😀🧑✈️
Bad habits, if not corrected, become fatal.
Braking safety rules is unwise and unprofessional.
CRM in this case looks sloppy at best, speaking up on time makes the difference between pilots and passengers.
PIC roles and responsibilities:
FAA 14 CFR Part 121, the Pilot in Command (PIC) is the final authority on the aircraft.
Clearly, the lightpole is at fault.
Lets sue the lightpole!
Easy to criticize here. Anyone who has ever had to set up for 3 different runways and consequently briefed 3 different approaches at the end of a long oceanic crossing from multiple time zones away will empathize. To all sanctimonious commenters, and prominently to myself, it could have happened to any of us. We’re human.