Eastern Airlines Flight 66, a Boeing 727-225 with registration number N8845E, was operating New Orleans-Moisant-New York Kennedy on the afternoon of June 24, 1975. The aircraft was carrying 124 persons aboard (116 passengers and 8 crew members).
As the aircraft was on its final approach into New York Kennedy at 4:05 PM EST, the crew entered into a microburst or wind shear environment caused by a severe thunderstorm. The aircraft continued its descent until it began striking the approach lights approximately 2,400 feet from the threshold of Runway 22L. After the initial impact the aircraft banked to the left and continued to strike the approach lights until it burst into flames and scattered the wreckage along Rockaway Boulevard, which runs around the perimeter of the airport. Of the 124 passengers onboard, 109 passengers and 6 crew members died. 7 passengers and 2 flight attendants, who were seated in the rear of the aircraft, survived.
As the investigation progressed, it was found that 10 minutes prior to Flight 66 crashing, a Douglas DC-8 cargo jet landing on Runway 22L reported tremendous wind shear on the ground. The pilot warned the tower of the fact but other aircraft continued to land. After the DC-8, an Eastern Airlines Lockheed L-1011 landing on the same runway nearly crashed. Two more aircraft landed prior to Flight 66.
The final cause of the crash was determined to be Flight 66 encountering wind shear on its approach and the reliance of the pilots on visual cues instead of instrument reference, which delayed their reaction to the winds. Contributing to this was the failure of New York Kennedy to close Runway 22L after the reports from the DC-8 and the L-1011.