Highway chaos: United Airlines plane collides with truck and knocks down light fixture

(AFP) A United Airlines plane, carrying 231 occupants, was nearly involved in a tragedy on Sunday when one of its wheels brushed a light pole and a truck while on approach to land near New York.

The Boeing 767-400 coming from the Italian city of Venice, was able to land safely at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, and no one was injured on board, according to officials with the U.S. aviation regulatory agency (FAA).

"The pole then impacted a jeep"

A preliminary investigation by the New Jersey State Police indicated that the incident occurred as the United Airlines plane, carrying 221 passengers and 10 crew, approached the runway.

A landing tire and the underside of the aircraft struck a pole and a delivery truck on a highway near the airport's runways.

"The pole then struck a jeep," which was also traveling on the highway, police said.

The driver of the truck was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, but was released shortly thereafter. There was "minor" damage to the Boeing 767-400, the port authority said.

Operations resumed immediately

Service at the airport quickly resumed as normal after employees thoroughly checked the runway for possible debris.

Chuck Paterakis, vice president of H&S Bakery, to which the truck involved belongs, said in a message to AFP that his driver was "fine" after suffering minor cuts.

Paterakis also told ABC that everyone involved in the incident was extremely lucky "because the opposite of what happened could have happened, and a little help from God was of great value tonight for everyone on the plane and the driver."