Plane SMASHES Truck During Landing

A Boeing 767 carrying 231 souls from Venice to Newark struck a bakery truck on the New Jersey Turnpike with its landing gear tire, smashing through the windshield while the driver filmed his own brush with death on dashcam.

Story Snapshot

  • United Airlines Flight UA169 struck H&S Bakery truck driver Warren Boardley’s vehicle during final approach to Newark Liberty International Airport on May 3, 2026
  • Landing gear tire crashed through windshield, injuring Boardley with glass cuts while plane also clipped light pole but landed safely with all 231 aboard unharmed
  • Dashcam footage from inside truck captured first-person impact, driving viral “heart-stopping” coverage across social media
  • FAA and NTSB investigations launched to determine cause of dangerously low flight path over high-traffic highway corridor

When Your Commute Becomes a Runway Hazard

Warren Boardley was hauling Schmidt Bakery products northbound on the New Jersey Turnpike around 2 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon when physics and flight paths collided in spectacular fashion. The Baltimore-area truck driver never imagined his routine delivery run would place him directly beneath a descending Boeing 767’s landing gear. The dashcam mounted in his H&S Bakery truck recorded the surreal moment a tire from United Flight UA169 punched through his windshield. Boardley survived with cuts to his arms and hands from flying glass, a minor miracle given the violence captured on video.

The incident unfolded near Newark Liberty International Airport, where approach paths routinely send aircraft screaming low over one of America’s busiest highway corridors. Flight UA169 had originated in Venice, Italy, carrying 221 passengers and 10 crew members through what should have been a textbook transatlantic crossing. Instead, the final moments before touchdown transformed into an investigation-worthy event that brought federal regulators running. The plane didn’t just graze Boardley’s truck; it also struck a light pole before somehow managing to land safely and taxi normally to the gate.

The Anatomy of an Improbable Strike

United Airlines released a carefully worded statement confirming the aircraft landed safely while their maintenance team evaluated damage and investigated how this occurred. That corporate-speak masks a more troubling question: how does a commercial airliner on a standard approach get low enough to hit ground infrastructure and highway traffic? Chuck Paterakis, Senior VP of Transportation and Logistics at H&S Bakery, provided the dashcam footage and details about his driver’s condition. The video shows exactly what preliminary reports suggested, the plane’s underside and landing gear making contact in a split-second that could have ended catastrophically.

New Jersey State Police began a preliminary investigation immediately, while the FAA confirmed the light pole strike occurred around 2 p.m. The NTSB launched a full probe the following day, standard procedure when aircraft contact objects outside airport boundaries. Investigators will examine whether pilot error, air traffic control miscommunication, wind conditions, or mechanical issues contributed to the dangerously low approach. Similar incidents at urban airports like JFK in 2019 involved planes clipping vehicles without injuries, but those remain rare enough to shock even seasoned aviation observers.

Urban Airports and Highway Roulette

Newark Liberty’s location creates inherent risks that aviation experts have flagged for years. Flight paths cross the New Jersey Turnpike’s northbound lanes, placing thousands of daily drivers beneath descending aircraft. Most approaches maintain sufficient altitude margins, but EWR’s history includes near-collisions, runway incursions, and light pole strikes documented as recently as 2023. The densely packed airspace surrounding New York metro airports demands precision that leaves little room for deviation. What happened to Boardley represents the nightmare scenario where small margins evaporate entirely.

The broader implications extend beyond one truck driver’s harrowing experience. Aviation regulators may reassess approach procedures if investigations reveal systemic issues rather than isolated pilot error. Trucking companies operating routes near major airports face an uncomfortable reality: their drivers navigate under flight paths where aircraft occasionally fly too low. The economic impact remains minimal, one damaged truck and one grounded aircraft, but the social media amplification of Boardley’s dashcam footage raises public awareness about airport proximity dangers that most travelers never consider.

Questions Federal Investigators Must Answer

The NTSB probe will focus on several critical factors. Was the aircraft’s altitude appropriate for its position on approach? Did wind gusts push the plane lower than intended? Were landing gear extended prematurely or malfunctioning? Did air traffic control provide accurate guidance? The preliminary evidence suggests the plane flew its approach path but somehow descended below safe margins. Investigators will pull cockpit voice recordings, flight data recorders, and air traffic control communications to reconstruct those final minutes before landing gear met windshield glass.

United’s maintenance team grounded the aircraft for thorough inspection, looking for damage beyond what’s visible on landing gear and underside surfaces. The bakery truck sustained obvious destruction, its windshield shattered and structure compromised by tire impact. Boardley received hospital treatment and was released, physically intact but carrying psychological scars from watching death approach through his windshield at highway speed. The 231 passengers aboard Flight UA169 landed without injury, likely unaware their plane had struck ground objects until investigators came knocking.

Sources:

CBS News Baltimore – Video: Baltimore bakery truck struck by United flight on New Jersey Turnpike

WJLA – Video: Truck struck by plane in New Jersey, Baltimore bakery

CBS6 Albany – Plane wheel crashes into bakery truck on NJ Turnpike, driver survives with cuts

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