John F. Kennedy Jr. plane crash
A Piper Saratoga similar to N9253N, the aircraft flown by John F. Kennedy Jr. on the night of the accident
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| Accident summary | |
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| Date | July 16, 1999 |
| Summary | Pilot error, spatial disorientation |
| Site | Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, U.S. 41°17′37″N 70°58′39″W / 41.29361°N 70.97750°WCoordinates: 41°17′37″N 70°58′39″W / 41.29361°N 70.97750°W |
| Passengers | 2 (Carolyn and Lauren Bessette) |
| Crew | 1 (John F. Kennedy Jr.) |
| Fatalities | 3 (all) |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Piper PA-32R-301, Saratoga II |
| Operator | private |
| Registration | N9253N |
| Flight origin | Essex County Airport, New Jersey (CDW) |
| Destination | Martha's Vineyard Airport, Massachusetts (MVY) |
On July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr. died when the airplane he was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The two passengers on board, Kennedy's wife Carolyn Bessette and her sister Lauren, were also killed. The Piper Saratoga light aircraft had departed from Essex County Airport in Fairfield, New Jersey, and its intended route was along the coastline of Connecticut and across Rhode Island Sound to Martha's Vineyard Airport.
The official investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that Kennedy fell victim to spatial disorientation while descending at night over water, consequently losing control of the aircraft. Kennedy did not hold an instrument rating and was certified to fly only under visual flight rules. However, at the time of the accident the weather and light conditions were such that all basic landmarks were obscured, making visual flight challenging, although legally still permissible.
On the evening of July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr. piloted a Piper Saratoga to attend the wedding of his cousin Rory Kennedy. The plane also carried his wife, Carolyn Bessette, and sister-in-law, Lauren Bessette. Kennedy had purchased his plane three months before his death. The Bessette sisters were seated in the second row of seats, which faced the rear of the plane and were back-to-back with the pilot's seat.
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