What happened on the fateful day of the tragic plane crash of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette? Read on to know the real story.
The latest series, FX's Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, shows the journey of one of the most iconic couples. Ever since the show got released, JFK Jr. and Carolyn’s highly publicised relationship has once again become a topic of discussion. Just like their relationship, the couple’s untimely and tragic death was always a mystery. It was in July 1999, when JFK Jr., along with his wife, Carolyn, and her sister, Lauren Bessette, took a flight flown by JFK that would eventually change their fate.
On the foggy night of July 16, 1999, JFK Jr. met his wife, Carolyn, and her sister, Lauren, at Essex County Airport in Caldwell, New Jersey. He just had a cast removed from his broken ankle a day before flying. JFK and Carolyn were headed to Hyannis Port for Rory Kennedy’s wedding and planned to drop Lauren off at Martha’s Vineyard.
JFK’s Piper Saratoga took off at 8:39 p.m., and it was reported that JFK became disoriented while flying because of the dense fog near Martha’s Vineyard. Since the visibility was poor, the plane spiralled uncontrollably into the Atlantic Ocean in about 30 seconds. The situation turned tragic so quickly that no panic call was made. The final radar reading came at 9:40 p.m., when the plane was 1,100 feet above sea level. Within less than an hour, the plane descended into the Atlantic Ocean.
It was Kennedy’s cousin, Anthony’s wife, Carole Radziwill, who raised the alarm as the couple was supposed to meet her. As she failed to hear from them, Carole informed the authorities and a five-day search was set off. Days passed, and the vast search kept a ray of hope. However, when debris began to wash ashore, it was confirmed that JFK, Carolyn and Lauren met with a tragic crash.
Among the items recovered was Lauren’s black suitcase, which washed up on Philbin Beach on July 17, 1999. It was on July 21, 1999, when the bodies of Kennedy, Carolyn, and Lauren were recovered from the wreckage about 7.5 miles off Martha’s Vineyard. All had been wearing the seatbelts and were reported to have died on impact.
Initial investigations revealed no mechanical failure, as the plane had recently passed inspection. Based on the multiple findings, the crash likely occurred due to pilot error. As Kennedy flew at night, the visibility was very low because of the haze. Another reason was that Kennedy was not certified to fly solo and relied only on visual cues, which were often unreliable.
JFK wanted to become a pilot since childhood and took flying lessons at the Flight Safety Academy. He received his pilot training in 1998 but took a three-month hiatus after his cousin’s accident. He trained in a Cessna 182 Skylane, but he upgraded to the higher-tech 1995 Piper Saratoga II HP just months before his death. Although JFK Jr. was licensed, he was in the process of getting his instrument rating. Instrument flying is mandatory for a pilot as he relies on the various instruments available in the cockpit, rather than on visual cues.
The NTSB also estimated that JFK Jr. had about 310 hours of training, including 55 hours at night, but only 72 of those hours were without an instructor. At the time of his death, JFK Jr. was training to obtain an instrument rating and was only qualified to fly under visual flight rules. His instrument instructor said:
“JFK Jr. grasped all of the basic skills needed to complete the course, but he still had trouble managing multiple tasks while flying, which he felt was normal for the pilot’s level of experience.”
What do you think about JFK Jr.’s tragic plane crash?
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