A tractor-trailer driver making a routine delivery near Newark Liberty International Airport had a freak brush with a landing jet when the aircraft came in so low it struck the truck, knocking a light pole and sending the driver to the hospital with minor injuries; multiple officials and the airline say the plane still landed and an investigation is underway.
Warren Boardley was on a scheduled run from Baltimore into New Jersey, heading to a Newark depot for his bakery route when an unexpected and terrifying moment unfolded. He pulled up near the airport and at some point the aircraft on final approach came in low enough to make contact with his tractor-trailer. The startling event was captured on video by bystanders and has circulated online, showing how thin the margin for error can be around busy airports.
Eyewitness video and company statements describe a surreal scene where aircraft tires or parts of the landing gear appeared to touch the top of the tractor or brush past it, and the jet also struck a nearby light pole. Those on the ground and in the air were lucky this was not worse, because the plane was carrying hundreds of people when it made the approach. The driver was transported to a hospital but suffered only minor injuries, according to published updates, while the goods he was hauling remained intact.
According to Chuck Paterakis, vice president of transportation for Schmidt Bakery and owner of H&S Family of Bakeries, the tractor-trailer involved belonged to Baker’s Express and was en route to deliver bread products to a Newark airport depot.
“The driver experienced a commercial plane’s tires landing on the tractor or brushing the top of the tractor,” Paterakis told ABC News.
The aftermath looked chaotic at the scene but, by most accounts, the plane continued its landing and taxied normally after touching down. Passengers on board reportedly were not injured and the crew was taken out of service while investigators quickly began looking into what happened. Questions are inevitable about how a large airliner descended so low on final approach that it could contact a vehicle on the ground and hit airport infrastructure like a light pole.
Officials from the airline and federal agencies said they will be examining maintenance records, flight crew actions, and the approach path to determine how this unusual contact occurred. United Airlines noted it will conduct a full safety review and that their maintenance team was assessing the aircraft, which the airline said sustained only minor damage. Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed they opened inquiries into the incident to get a clear factual record.
Despite the collision, the aircraft landed safely. There were 221 passengers and 10 crew members on board, and no injuries were reported among those on the plane. United said the aircraft taxied to the gate normally and sustained only minor damage.
“Our maintenance team is evaluating damage to the aircraft and we will investigate how this occurred,” United Airlines said in a statement. “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 truck’s trailer apparently suffered no structural damage and the bakery cargo was unharmed, which is almost unbelievable given the proximity of the jet’s landing gear to the vehicle. For the driver and the passengers, the situation could have been catastrophic, but it did not become one. Observers said luck, timing, and perhaps quick reactions by those involved helped avoid a far worse outcome.
Local authorities arrived to secure the scene, inspect the light pole that was struck, and interview witnesses while airport operations continued with normal procedures. Airport staff and emergency responders routinely train for a wide range of incidents, but this rare kind of contact between a landing aircraft and a ground vehicle is not something you see every day. It shines a spotlight on the need to reassess procedures for vehicle staging areas near runways and approach corridors.
Paterakis emphasized how fortunate everyone was that night in blunt terms that captured the mood of those involved. “Everybody, the driver and everybody on the plane, should be very fortunate,” he said. “Because it could have been the opposite of what happened, and a little help from God went a long way tonight for everybody on the plane, and including the driver.”
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed they are investigating the incident.
Investigations like this typically take time, involving flight data, radar tracks, maintenance history, crew interviews, and ground inspections. The priority for regulators and the airline will be to understand whether the approach path was anomalous, whether instrument or pilot input played a role, and if any changes are needed to protect people on both the ground and in the air. For now, the episode stands as a stark reminder of how thin the line can be between routine travel and disaster, and why exhaustive investigation matters.
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