What happened
On the afternoon of the accident, Eastern Air Lines Flight 66, a Boeing 727-225, was conducting a scheduled passenger service from New Orleans to New York-JFK. While operating under IFR flight rules, the aircraft entered the Kennedy terminal area and was provided radar vectors by approach control for an ILS approach to runway 22L. The weather conditions at the time included haze, light rain, and thunderstorms in the vicinity.
During the approach, the crew received reports of a severe wind shift affecting other aircraft. Specifically, an Eastern Air Lines Lockheed L-1011 TriStar had recently aborted its approach due to significant wind shear that caused a sudden drop in airspeed and an increased rate of descent. Despite these warnings, the crew of Flight 66 continued the approach, noting the presence of heavy rain and discussing the necessity of maintaining a safety margin.
As the aircraft descended through 400 feet, it experienced a significant increase in its rate of descent, rising from approximately 675 fpm to 1,500 fpm. Simultaneously, the airspeed dropped from 138 knots to 123 knots. The aircraft began to deviate sharply below the glideslope. While attempting to recover, the Boeing 727-225 struck the No. 7 approach light tower at an elevation of 27 feet. The impact continued as the plane hit subsequent towers, causing the left wing to be severely damaged and eventually severed. The aircraft entered a steep bank exceeding 90 degrees, struck the ground and additional towers, and finally came to rest on Rockaway Boulevard. The impact with boulders and towers caused the fuselage to disintegrate, and a fire broke out following the structural failure of the wing.
Findings
Investigations concluded that the accident was caused by the aircraft encountering adverse winds associated with a strong thunderstorm positioned directly along the ILS localizer course. This encounter led to an excessive descent rate into non-frangible approach light towers. The crew's delayed response to the high descent rate was attributed to a reliance on visual references instead of flight instruments. Additionally, the continued use of runway 22L contributed to the accident, as both air traffic controllers and the flight crew should have recognized that severe weather hazards made the approach path unsafe.