Investigation Summary
As Flight 66 approached JFK, a severe thunderstorm cell was positioned directly over the final approach path for Runway 22L. Minutes before the crash, a Flying Tiger DC-8 and an Eastern L-1011 reported severe wind shear, with the L-1011 nearly crashing before performing a go-around. Despite these reports, ATC continued to use Runway 22L. Flight 66 encountered a massive downburst that caused its airspeed to drop by 15 knots and its descent rate to double to 1,500 feet per minute. The crew, relying on visual cues in heavy rain rather than strictly monitoring instruments, failed to correct the descent in time. The NTSB noted that the captain was likely preoccupied with the windshield wipers, which were not functioning effectively at high speed in heavy rain, further distracting him from monitoring the flight instruments. The aircraft struck the seventh approach light tower at an elevation of 27 feet above the ground, approximately 2,400 feet from the runway threshold.
Final Conclusions
The NTSB determined the probable cause was the encounter with adverse winds associated with a very strong thunderstorm, resulting in a high descent rate. Contributing factors included the continued use of Runway 22L despite known severe weather hazards and the flight crew's delayed recognition of the descent rate due to reliance on visual cues. The investigation highlighted that the airport's wind sensors were located 15,000 feet away from the storm, providing misleadingly calm data to controllers.
Photographic Evidence (1)
Video Analysis
The Tornado Scientist That Solved A Plane Crash — A detailed look at how Dr. Ted Fujita used the wreckage and meteorological data from Eastern 66 to identify the microburst, a previously unknown aviation hazard.
Watch on YouTube ↗If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Systems & Failure Modes
ILS (Instrument Landing System)
The crew was following the glideslope and localizer for Runway 22L when the microburst forced them below the path.
Weather Radar
The crew had the onboard radar on standby during the final approach, potentially limiting their awareness of the storm's intensity.
LLWAS (Low Level Windshear Alert System)
This system was developed and deployed at over 100 airports as a direct result of this accident.
Interesting Facts
- 01The crash led to the discovery of the microburst by Dr. Ted Fujita.
- 02The airport wind sensor was located nearly 15,000 feet from the storm, showing calm winds while the approach path was lethal.
- 03The approach light towers were non-frangible (rigid), which caused significantly more damage to the aircraft structure upon impact.
- 04A total of 11 people survived the accident, including 9 passengers and 2 flight attendants; all flight deck crew perished.
- 05The Flying Tiger DC-8 that landed just before the crash reported that the cattle in its cargo hold all broke their legs due to the violent vertical forces.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Wind Shear Detection
Development and installation of the Low Level Windshear Alert System (LLWAS) at major airports to detect sudden wind shifts.
Frangible Structures
Requirement for approach light towers to be made frangible (designed to break on impact) to reduce aircraft damage during undershoots.
Pilot Training
Enhanced training for flight crews on recognizing and recovering from wind shear and microburst encounters.