This weekend, 155 people died when Brazil’s Gol Airlines tragically lost a Boeing 737-800 on a flight from Manaus to Brasilia. Our thoughts are certainly with the families of those who lost loved ones.

But the story of the flight’s demise is truly bizarre, and details are bound to unfold in coming days and weeks.

Most disturbingly, the plane apparently collided with another plane, an Embraer Legacy jet, inflight. The extent of the contact between the two planes is unclear, but the smaller Embraer “won” and landed safely.

First off, and most importantly, how could any mid-air contact between two jets equipped with collision avoidance systems happen? These weren’t older generations of planes. They were state of the art. The 737 had only logged 234 hours of flying time, total. What happened?

Second, how could the smaller jet take down the larger plane? (The 737 is nearly double the length and height, with 70% greater wingspan.) I have a hard time picturing the physics of this.

Finally, in the bizarre coincidences department: The New York Times’ Joe Sharkey, who writes the “On the Road” column Tuesdays, was on board the Embraer. I’m glad Joe and the others on the Embraer made it, and I certainly hope that Uncle Joe has a firsthand account to provide this coming Tuesday.