Date: June 24, 1975
Passengers: 116
Crew: 8
Fatalities: 113
Cause: "...the aircraft's encounter with adverse winds associated with a very strong thunderstorm located astride the ILS localizer course, which resulted in a high descent rate into the nonfrangible approach light towers. The flightcrew's delayed recognition and correction of the high descent rate were probably associated with their reliance upon visual cues rather than on flight instrument references. However, the adverse winds might have been too severe for a successful approach and landing even had they relied upon and responded rapidly to the indications of the flight instruments."
 
 
Legend:
CAM     Cockpit area microphone or sound source
HOT     Flight crew audio panel voice or sound source
RDO     Radio transmission from accident aircraft
EA902	Eastern Airlines 902
N1004	National Airlines 1004
TWR		Kennedy Tower
KFV		Kennedy Final Vector Controller
-1      Voice identified as captain
-2      Voice identified as first officer
-3      Voice identified as flight engineer
-?      Voice unidentified or unknown
*       Unintelligible word
@       Non-pertinent word
#       Expletive
( )     Questionable insertion
(( ))   Editorial insertion
...     Pause
Times are expressed in EDT.


---


1559:40		EA902	We had...a pretty good shear pulling us to the right and...down and visibility was nil, nil out over the marker...correction...at two hundred feet it was...nothing
			KFV		Okay, the shear you say pulled you right and down?

1600:27.0	EA902	Yeah, we were on course and down about two fifty feet. The airspeed dropped to about ten knots below the bug and our rate of descent was up to fifteen hundred feet a minute, so we put takeoff power on and we went around at a hundred feet

1600:33.0	CAM-1	You know this is asinine
			CAM-?	I wonder if they're covering for themselves
			KFV		((asking accident flight if they heard the report))
			RDO-1	...affirmative
			KFV		((establishing flight's position: five miles from outer marker, and cleared for ILS approach to 22L))

1600:54.5	RDO-1	Okay, we'll let you know about the conditions

1601:17.8	CAM-2	I'll just fly the glideslope on down. Fifteen, please
			CAM-1	Fifteen

1601:49.5	CAM-2	Final check when ready

1601:54.5	CAM		((sound of altitude monitor))
			CAM-1	It's on
			CAM-3	Speedbrake
			CAM-1	Forward detent
			CAM-?	Up
			CAM-3	RADAR
			CAM-1	Up and off, ah, standby

1602:12.5	CAM-3	Gear down

1602:20.0	CAM-1	Five rel. I have the RADAR on standby in case I need it, I can get it off later

1602:27.5	CAM-1	They're uh fifteen and standby

1602:36.0	CAM-3	That valve light came back on, John

1602:42.0	KFV		Roger Eastern nine zero two, would you classify that as a severe wind shift, uh correction...shear?

1602:47.5	EA902	Affirmative

1602:50.5	CAM-2	Gonna keep a pretty healthy margin on this one

1602:53.0	CAM-?	I, uh, I would suggest that you do
			CAM-2	In case he's right

1602:58.7	RDO-1	((reporting over the outer marker))
			KFV		((clears flight to contact tower))

1603:05.5	CAM-2	And take thirty, please

1603:12.4	RDO-1	((establishes communications with Kennedy tower)) ...outer marker, inbound

1603:36.0	CAM-1	I'll get the windshield wipers if you need them

1603:44.0	TWR		Eastern sixty six, cleared to land

1603:46.3	RDO-1	Sixty six

1603:49.5	RDO-1	Any reports on braking action for sixty six

1603:57.7	CAM-3	One thousand feet

1604:10.9	RDO-1	Any reports on braking action for sixty six?

1604:14.1	TWR		No, none. Uh, approach end of the runway is wet, uh, but I'd say about the first half is wet, we've had no adverse reports

1604:36.3	CAM-?	You've got five hundred feet

1604:38.5	CAM		((sound of windshield wipers going to high speed))

1604:40.5	CAM-1	Stay on the gauges

1604:41.5	CAM-2	Oh yes, I'm right with it

1604:45.8	N1004	...by the outer marker...everyone else...having a good ride though?

1604:48.0	CAM-3	Three greens, thirty degrees, final checklist

1604:52.8	CAM-1	I have approach lights

1604:53.2	CAM-2	Okay

1604:54.7	CAM-1	Stay on the gauges

1604:55.8	CAM-2	I'm with it

1604:58.0	TWR		Eastern sixty six and National one zero zero four, the only adverse reports we've had about the approach is a wind shear on short final ((not acknowledged by accident flight, but acknowledged by N1004))

1605:06.2	CAM-1	Runway in sight
			CAM-2	I got it

1605:09.3	CAM-1	Got it?

1605:10.2	CAM-2	Takeoff thrust ((unintelligible exclamation simultaneous with command for takeoff thrust))

1605:11.4	CAM		((sound of initial impact))

					((end of recording))