A Boeing 767-400 operated by the American company United Airlines struck a delivery truck on a highway alongside Newark Airport, near New York, and clipped a lamppost, several official sources told AFP.

"While on approach to land at Newark Liberty International Airport, United Airlines Flight 169 struck a lamppost on the New Jersey Turnpike (a highway, editor's note) at approximately 2:00 p.m. local time on Sunday, May 3," a spokesperson for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said, adding that an investigation had been opened.

According to the Port Authority of New York-New Jersey (PANYNJ), which manages the airport, the plane also struck a truck that was traveling on the highway.

The New Jersey State Police later clarified that during its approach, the plane's landing gear and the underside of the fuselage struck a lamppost and a semi-trailer truck, according to a preliminary investigation.

The streetlight pole then struck a Jeep, police added, without giving details about the occupant or occupants of the vehicle.

However, the truck driver was taken to hospital with minor injuries but was quickly released, these multiple sources indicated.

Chuck Paterakis, vice president of H&S Bakery, the company that owns the wrecked truck, said in a message to AFP that his driver was "ok" and "suffered from minor cuts".

The aircraft, which was flying from Venice to Newark, was carrying 221 passengers and ten crew members. It landed safely and no one on board was injured.

"Minor" damage was observed on the aircraft, the port authority said, indicating that service was able to quickly resume normally after employees combed the runway for any debris.

According to several aviation websites, the aircraft was delivered in May 2002.

For its part, the airline indicated that the passengers had disembarked normally at the terminal.

"Our maintenance team is examining the damage to the device," she continued, assuring that a "rigorous investigation" would be conducted internally.

"The crew has been removed from the flight schedule as part of this procedure," she said.

When contacted by AFP, the manufacturer Boeing did not immediately respond.