The captain of the United Airlines flight that struck a light pole while landing at a New Jersey airport last month was warned he was flying too close to the ground, according to federal investigators.The incident involving United Flight 169 occurred on May 3, as it was arriving at Newark Liberty International Airport from Venice, Italy. In a preliminary report on the debacle released by the National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday, the agency said the first officer warned the captain that the Boeing 767 was “a little low” on approach. The captain was just 19 feet above the center of the New Jersey Turnpike moments before making the final approach for touchdown, according to the latest assessment.
When the plane hit 500 feet, the first officer told the captain: “Hey, you are slow,” and “You are still slow and a little low,” according to NTSB. The captain said he realized at the time, “I thought we were low,” but wasn’t able to process the data in time to call for another approach, as it was seconds before touchdown.
The plane struck a light pole on the New Jersey Turnpike adjacent to the runway during the incident, but no one on board was injured, and the plane landed normally. There were more than 200 passengers and 11 crew members on the Boeing 767.
