A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has provided new details about an incident involving a United Airlines passenger flight that struck a light pole while landing at Newark Liberty International Airport on May 3.

The aircraft had departed from Venice, Italy, and was approaching its landing when the copilot recognized that the plane was descending lower than intended.However, he stated that he did not realize the severity of the situation in time to initiate an aborted landing or go-around procedure.According to the report, the first officer recalled advising that the aircraft was “still slow and a little low” during its descent.Despite this awareness, the situation developed too quickly to correct the approach before touchdown.

Crew members described hearing a loud “thump” and feeling a mild jolt just before the aircraft made contact with the runway area, consistent with the plane striking a light pole during landing.The NTSB emphasized that this is an initial report and does not yet determine the root cause of the incident or assign responsibility.

Investigators have not identified whether mechanical issues, pilot decision-making, environmental conditions, or other factors contributed to the low approach.The report also does not include safety recommendations at this stage.

The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue to analyze flight data, cockpit communications, and operational procedures to better understand how the aircraft descended below the intended glide path and to prevent similar events in the future.