NEWARK, NEW JERSEY — Warren Boardley of Baltimore was heading north on the New Jersey Turnpike on Sunday afternoon, singing to himself and placing his cellphone on the dashboard as he drove a Baker’s Express tractor-trailer loaded with bread products toward a depot near Newark Liberty International Airport. Then the roar of jet engines filled his cab — and everything changed in an instant.
A United Airlines Boeing 767 on final approach to Newark flew unusually low over the highway, clipped a light pole, and sent what appeared to be one of its landing gear tires crashing through Boardley’s windshield and driver’s side window. Dashcam footage from inside the truck captured the entire moment and circulated widely on social media. In the video, Boardley can be heard singing to himself, placing his phone on the left side of the dashboard, and glancing to his right twice in evident alarm before a loud screech and crash fills the frame — glass shards and debris abruptly filling the camera’s view.
Despite the violent strike, Boardley kept his composure. He was able to pull over safely and contact his employer. He suffered cuts to his arm and forearm from broken glass but did not suffer serious injuries. He was taken to a hospital and has since been released.
In a notable detail, the trailer itself was not damaged and the bread products inside were untouched. “The trailer is not damaged, and the bread product was not touched,” said Chuck Paterakis, vice president of transportation for Schmidt Bakery and owner of H&S Family of Bakeries in Baltimore, which operates Baker’s Express.
Paterakis described what happened to Boardley in the cab. “The driver experienced a commercial plane’s tires landing on the tractor or brushing the top of the tractor,” he said. Boardley had departed Baltimore and was making his way to the company’s depot just off the Turnpike near the airport — a routine delivery run.
“Everybody — the driver and everybody on the plane — should be very fortunate,” Paterakis 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.”
What Happened
United Flight 169 had arrived from Venice, Italy, carrying 221 passengers and 10 crew members. Due to windy conditions, the flight was directed to Runway 29 — Newark’s shortest runway at 6,725 feet, which starts less than 400 feet from the edge of the New Jersey Turnpike. Planes landing on that runway regularly pass at low altitudes over multiple congested lanes of I-95 traffic.
New Jersey State Police said a preliminary investigation found that a tire from the plane’s landing gear and the underside of the aircraft struck both the light pole and Boardley’s truck. The pole then fell and struck a Jeep also traveling on the Turnpike. The plane continued on, landed safely, and taxied to the gate normally. No passengers or crew were injured. Pilots and air traffic control did not appear to be aware the plane had struck the pole during landing.
The Port Authority Police Department and New Jersey State Police responded to the scene. Airport staff inspected the runway for debris and normal operations quickly resumed. The Port Authority confirmed only minor damage to the aircraft was observed.
United Airlines said: “Our maintenance team is evaluating damage to the aircraft and we will investigate how this occurred. 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 FAA and NTSB are both investigating. The NTSB directed United to turn over the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder. FAA and New Jersey Turnpike Authority officials were on site Sunday evening conducting inspections and gathering evidence. An NTSB investigator arrived in Newark on Monday.
Aviation expert Kyle Bailey said investigators will likely focus on how the plane’s clearance was misjudged. “My gut feeling is they probably just misjudged that undercarriage, how far below the airplane it actually sits,” Bailey said, adding that crew fatigue after a long international flight could also be a factor.
Interviews courtesy of local media.
📸 Image(s) used under fair use for news reporting.
