John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette, and her sister Lauren died on July 16, 1999, when the Piper Saratoga airplane Kennedy was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. An aviation consultant who witnessed the final moments before takeoff and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report have shed light on the circumstances leading to the fatal flight.
Kyle Bailey, then a 25-year-old novice pilot and the last person to see the trio alive, told the Daily Mail that contrary to some dramatizations, Kennedy and Bessette were not engaged in a heated argument before boarding the plane. "It was just a discussion," Bailey stated, describing the atmosphere as focused on preparing the aircraft for departure. Kennedy had driven himself and Lauren Bessette to the airfield, arriving after dark due to heavy traffic from Manhattan. Carolyn Bessette arrived shortly after in a chauffeured car.
Kennedy, who had recently upgraded to the more complex Piper Saratoga, had only about 36 hours of flight experience in the aircraft, with just three of those hours flown without an instructor. Crucially, only 48 minutes of that time had been in darkness. Despite an offer from an instructor to accompany him that day, Kennedy declined, stating he wished to fly alone, according to the NTSB report.
Kennedy was also flying with a fractured left ankle, sustained in a paragliding accident six weeks prior. While he had received medical clearance, his mobility was still limited, and he was using a crutch when performing final checks on the plane.
The flight departed Essex County Airport around 8:40 p.m. as full nighttime conditions set in. Visibility was reported as between four and six miles, with moderate breezes. Kennedy was flying by sight, as he had only completed about half of a formal instrument training course. Although the plane was equipped with GPS and autopilot, it is unknown if he utilized the autopilot during the flight.
Near Miss and Disorientation
Approximately seven minutes after takeoff, as Kennedy's plane was heading northeast, an American Airlines Fokker 100 jetliner initiated its approach to Westchester County Airport. Air traffic control, unaware of Kennedy's presence in the vicinity, instructed the jetliner to descend. The jetliner's pilot later reported seeing Kennedy's plane and confirmed it was not in communication with air traffic control. An automated Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) alert was issued to the jetliner's pilot, followed by an urgent resolution advisory indicating an impending collision. Despite these warnings, the jetliner was able to avoid Kennedy's aircraft without any reported corrective action from air traffic control. It remains unknown if Kennedy was aware of this near miss.
Descent and Fatal Spiral
Some time after 9 p.m., the Piper Saratoga began flying over the ocean. At 9:33 p.m., 34 miles west of Martha's Vineyard, Kennedy initiated a steady descent from 5,500 feet. Aviation experts suggest this could have been an attempt to get below haze and spot land lights. As the plane descended and made a series of turns, confusion due to the dark, hazy conditions and lack of instrument flying proficiency appears to have set in.
An aviation expert explained that in such conditions, a pilot's senses can become disoriented, leading them to believe they are moving in one direction when in fact they are moving in the opposite. Kennedy, who was not fully trained in reading instruments, was reportedly confused. This disorientation led to a steepening right turn, described as a "graveyard spiral," with the engine at full throttle and propellers at maximum speed. The NTSB report attributed the probable cause of the accident to "the pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during a descent over water at night, which was a result of spatial disorientation." The factors cited were the haze and the dark night.
The Piper Saratoga impacted the water at approximately 9:41 p.m. The NTSB report indicated that the pilot and passengers died from multiple injuries as a result of the accident, with no drugs or alcohol found in their systems. The wreckage was recovered from the ocean.
