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United Airlines has issued a safety bulletin to its pilots after one of its Boeing 767s struck a light pole on the New Jersey Turnpike while landing at Newark Liberty International Airport on May 3, 2026.
The bulletin, identified as Pilot Bulletin 26-069 revision 1, was disclosed yesterday in the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report on the incident.
According to the NTSB, the aircraft struck a light pole on the New Jersey Turnpike during its final approach to runway 29. Debris from the pole then hit a tractor-trailer traveling southbound on the turnpike, an impact that was captured in video footage that has since gone viral. The truck driver sustained minor injuries.
The NTSB report also revealed what was happening in the cockpit in the final seconds before impact. The captain of United Flight 169 told investigators that he was aiming to see "3 red and 1 white" on the runway's Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI). The standard "on glide path" indication is 2 red and 2 white. Three red lights means the aircraft is below the standard 3-degree glide slope.
As the aircraft descended toward the runway, the first officer called out "airspeed slow" on short final. He then warned the captain, "hey you are slow," followed moments later by, "you are still slow and a little low." By the time he looked back outside and realized just how low the aircraft was, it was already about to touch down, and he did not have time to call for a go-around.
In response, United issued the safety bulletin to identify a hazard known as "ducking under," a pilot technique in which crews shift the aimpoint of electronic or visual glide path indications, contributing to low approach altitudes during the visual segment of approaches into certain airports and runways.
The bulletin reminded United pilots that all approaches must be conducted so that touchdown occurs no earlier than 1,000 feet and no later than 1,500 feet from the runway threshold.
The NTSB investigation is ongoing.
