Eastern Air Lines Flight 66
Aerial view of the crash site | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | June 24, 1975 |
| Summary | Crash on approach as a result of microburst-induced wind shear |
| Site | |
| Aircraft | |
| N8845E, the aircraft involved in the accident, pictured in 1974 | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 727-225 |
| Operator | Eastern Air Lines |
| IATA flight No. | EA66 |
| ICAO flight No. | EAL66 |
| Call sign | EASTERN 66 |
| Registration | N8845E |
| Flight origin | New Orleans International Airport, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
| Destination | John F. Kennedy International Airport, Jamaica, Queens, New York, United States |
| Occupants | 124 |
| Passengers | 116 |
| Crew | 8 |
| Fatalities | 113 |
| Injuries | 11 |
| Survivors | 11 |
Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 was a regularly scheduled flight from New Orleans to New York City that crashed on June 24, 1975, when a Boeing 727-225 went on approach to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, killing 113 of the 124 people on board. The accident was determined to be caused by wind shear stemming from a microburst, but the failure of the airport and the flight crew to recognize the severe weather hazard was also a contributing factor.