He imagines the plane exploding as it touches down, ignited by one of its glints, in a ball of red flame shadowed in black like you see on TV all the time, and he is shocked to find within himself, imagining this, not much emotion, just a cold thrill at being a witness, a kind of bleak wonder at the fury of chemicals, and relief that he hadn't been on the plane himself but was instead safe on this side of the glass, with his faint pronged sense of doom.
The character envisions a plane crash upon landing, visualizing it as an explosive event that generates a striking image of fire and shadow. Surprisingly, he feels a detachment from the horror, experiencing only a chilling excitement at the thought of the disaster, mixed with a sense of amazement at the destructive power of the materials involved. Rather than a visceral reaction, he is left with an eerie sense of relief that he is an observer rather than a victim of the disaster.
This bleak wonder at the potential for destruction highlights his complex emotional state, revealing a fascination with catastrophe intertwined with an instinctive desire for self-preservation. The moment encapsulates his internal conflict, as he grapples with feelings of doom while simultaneously feeling secure behind the safety of glass, reinforcing a separation between himself and the chaos he imagines.