First officer told captain of United Airlines flight that hit light pole he was "slow and a little low," NTSB says

Local News First officer of United flight that hit light pole on New Jersey Turnpike told captain he was "slow and a little low," NTSB says By Jesse Zanger Jesse Zanger Managing Editor, CBS New York Jesse Zanger is the managing editor of CBSNewYork.com. Jesse has previously worked for the Fox News Channel and Spectrum News NY1. He covers regional news around the Tri-State Area, with a particular focus on breaking news and extreme weather. Read Full Bio Jesse Zanger June 4, 2026 / 5:56 PM EDT / CBS New York Add CBS News on Google The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report on a United Airlines plane that struck a light pole on the New Jersey Turnpike in May. Debris from the light pole smashed into a passing tractor trailer, the NTSB report says. It was initially believed the plane's landing gear had come into contact with that truck. The plane landed safely at Newark Liberty International Airport.Truck damaged by light poleThe report finds that United Airlines flight 169 was making its final approach to runway 29 at Newark Liberty International Airport at 1:50 p.m. back on May 3 when it struck a light pole. "Debris from the light pole subsequently impacted a tractor-trailer traveling southbound on the New Jersey turnpike," the NTSB wrote in the report.  This image shows the aftermath of a United Airlines plane striking a tractor-trailer on the New Jersey Turnpike on May 3, 2026. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey via NTSB The moment of impact was caught on dashcam video in the truck. The NTSB said there was no evidence of tire marks on either tractor or the cab of the truck. "Hey, you are slow"The runway the plane was to land on was changed three times as they approached Newark. The captain said he was not concerned about the change in the runway. The first officer called out "airspeed slow" as they approached the runway, the captain told the NTSB. He told the NTSB he didn't receive any alerts abo...