joe sharkey was one of seven people aboard an embraer legacy business jet that collided in mid-air with a gol airlines boeing 737 over brazil, on september 29, 2006. the business jet, despite sustaining damage to its wing and tail, managed to land safely at cachimbo military airport, while the boeing crashed to the ground, killing all 154 people on board. the legacy jet was owned and operated by excelaire, a charter company headquartered in ronkonkoma, new york, and was on its delivery flight from embraer's factory in são josé dos campos, near são paulo, to the united states. sharkey was on a freelance assignment in brazil for "business jet traveler", a magazine specialized in corporate aviation. in a "new york times" front-page article titled "colliding with death at 37,000 feet, and living", published october 3, 2006, sharkey reported: