A United Airlines copilot acknowledged the aircraft was flying too low before it struck a light pole during a landing at Newark Liberty last month, but claimed he failed to realise the danger in time to abort the manoeuvre, according to a new report.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stated in its initial findings that the first officer recalled telling the pilot, "you are still slow and a little low" as the plane descended. He then looked outside and, despite thinking the plane was low, believed it was on the verge of touching down.
Both the pilot and other crewmembers reported hearing a loud "thump" and experiencing a "mild jolt" just moments before the aircraft landed.
At the time, law enforcement officials said the plane hit the top of a bakery truck, causing minor injuries to the driver. But Thursday's report says it was actually debris from the light pole, and not the plane itself, that hit a truck traveling on the New Jersey Turnpike, damaging the windshield and puncturing its trailer.
The report provides the first description of the events from the crew inside the plane, but it doesn’t spell out a specific reason why the plane came in so low, or make recommendations about how to prevent similar incidents. That’s not expected until the NTSB releases its final report, likely sometime next year.
The United Airlines passenger jet was coming in for a landing on May 3 after flying in from Venice, Italy. The Boeing 677 was able to land safely, though it sustained significant damage to its fuselage, according to the NTSB report. None of the more than 200 people aboard the plane were hurt.
Regular drivers on that stretch of Interstate 95 near the Newark airport are likely used to seeing planes coming in low as they cross the highway in preparation for landing.
Dashboard camera video from inside the bakery delivery truck showed the moment of impact.
The driver is seen singing happily to himself, then glancing out his window with a slight look of concern as the sound of the jet’s whining engines begins on the recording. A moment later, part of the plane zooms into view out the driver’s side window.
Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti said Thursday's report suggests the captain was challenged by strong winds and a short runway.
The tarmac where the plane landed is the shortest runway at the airport at 6,726 feet (2,050 meters). It is generally only used when there are strong winds like there were that afternoon. An air traffic controller told pilots at the time that the winds were gusting up to 31 mph (50 kph).
