The final minutes before midnight should have marked nothing more than a routine landing for Flight 8646. On board, 76 passengers were likely lost in their own quiet thoughts—some imagining the comfort of their beds, others thinking about meetings the next day, and many anticipating reunions with loved ones waiting beyond customs. The atmosphere would have been ordinary, even predictable. Yet, in a sudden and devastating turn, that normalcy was shattered when the aircraft collided with a fire truck positioned on Runway 4. The impact occurred at what might seem like a relatively low speed—just 24 miles per hour—but it proved tragically sufficient to claim the lives of two pilots in the cockpit.
Retired aircraft accident investigator issues chilling theory on New York plane crash
