The evening of Sept. 2, 1998 was a peaceful one for the people living on the coast of Nova Scotia near the hamlet of Peggy’s Cove. The forecast predicted a chance of rain, and a thick cloud cover had started to roll in as the small community went about their nightly routines. Then at 10:31, a loud boom ripped across the sky.

“We heard a huge sound. Initially I thought it was thunder. Then we heard a smaller second rumble. It was a thunderous boom, but there was no rain, no lightning,” Sharon Hoagland, who was at home with her husband, told The New York Times.

Swissair Flight 111 had crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.