JFK Jr. Killed in Plane Crash - Jul 16, 1999 - HISTORY.com

9/1/15 10:32 AMJFK Jr. killed in plane crash - Jul 16, 1999 - HISTORY.com

Page 2 of 30http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/jfk-jr-killed-in-plane-crash

Share this:

1999JFK Jr. killed in planecrash

On July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy, Jr.; his wife,

Carolyn Bessette Kennedy; and her sister,

Lauren Bessette, die when the single-engine

plane that Kennedy was piloting crashes into the

Atlantic Ocean near Martha’s Vineyard,

Massachusetts.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr., was born on

November 25, 1960, just a few weeks after his

father and namesake was elected the 35th

president of the United States. On his third

birthday, “John-John” attended the funeral of his

assassinated father and was photographed

saluting his father’s coffin in a famous and

PRINT

(HTTP://WWW.HISTORY.COM/THIS-DAY-IN-

HISTORY/JFK-JR-KILLED-IN-PLANE-CRASH/PRINT)

CITE

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/jfk-jr-killed-in-plane-crash#



http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/jfk-jr-killed-in-plane-crash/print




searing image. Along with his sister, Caroline, he

was raised in Manhattan by his mother,

Jacqueline. After graduating from Brown

University and a very brief acting stint, he

attended New York University Law School. He

passed the bar on his third try and worked in

New York as an assistant district attorney,

winning all six of his cases. In 1995, he founded

the political magazine George, which grew to

have a circulation of more than 400,000. Unlike

many others in his famous family, he never

sought public office himself.

Always in the media spotlight, he was celebrated

for the good looks that he inherited from his

parents. In 1988, he was named the “Sexiest

Man Alive” by People magazine. He was linked

romantically with several celebrities, including

the actress Daryl Hannah, whom he dated for

five years. In September 1996, he married

girlfriend Carolyn Bessette, a fashion publicist.

The two shared an apartment in New York City,

where Kennedy was often seen inline skating in

public. Known for his adventurous nature, he

nonetheless took pains to separate himself from

the more self-destructive behavior of some of

the other men in the Kennedy clan.



On July 16, 1999, however, with about 300 hours

of flying experience, Kennedy took off from

Essex County airport in New Jersey and flew his

single-engine plane into a hazy, moonless night.

He had turned down an offer by one of his flight

instructors to accompany him, saying he

“wanted to do it alone.” To reach his destination

of Martha’s Vineyard, he would have to fly 200

miles–the final phase over a dark, hazy ocean–

and inexperienced pilots can lose sight of the

horizon under such conditions. Unable to see

shore lights or other landmarks, Kennedy would

have to depend on his instruments, but he had

not qualified for a license to fly with instruments

only. In addition, he was recovering from a

broken ankle, which might have affected his

ability to pilot his plane.

At Martha’s Vineyard, Kennedy was to drop off

his sister-in-law Lauren Bessette, one of his two

passengers. From there, Kennedy and his wife,

Carolyn, were to fly on to the Kennedy

compound on Cape Cod’s Hyannis Port for the

marriage of Rory Kennedy, the youngest child of

the late Robert F. Kennedy. The Piper Saratoga

aircraft never made it to Martha’s Vineyard.

Radar data examined later showed the plane

plummeting from 2,200 feet to 1,100 feet in a



span of 14 seconds, a rate far beyond the

aircraft’s safe maximum. It then disappeared

from the radar screen.

Kennedy’s plane was reported missing by

friends and family members, and an intensive

rescue operation was launched by the Coast

Guard, the navy, the air force, and civilians. After

two days of searching, the thousands of people

involved gave up hope of finding survivors and

turned their efforts to recovering the wreckage

of the aircraft and the bodies. Americans

mourned the loss of the “crown prince” of one of

the country’s most admired families, a sadness

that was especially poignant given the relentless

string of tragedies that have haunted the

Kennedy family over the years.

On July 21, navy divers recovered the bodies of

JFK Jr., his wife, and sister-in-law from the

wreckage of the plane, which was lying under

116 feet of water about eight miles off the

Vineyard’s shores. The next day, the cremated

remains of the three were buried at sea during a

ceremony on the USS Briscoe, a navy destroyer.

A private mass for JFK Jr. and Carolyn was held

on July 23 at the Church of St. Thomas More in

Manhattan, where the late Jackie Kennedy

Onassis worshipped. President Bill Clinton and



his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, were among

the 300 invited guests. The Kennedy family’s

surviving patriarch, Senator Edward M. Kennedy

of Massachusetts, delivered a moving eulogy:

“From the first day of his life, John seemed to

belong not only to our family, but to the

American family. He had a legacy, and he

learned to treasure it. He was part of a legend,

and he learned to live with it.”

Investigators studying the wreckage of the Piper

Saratoga found no problems with its mechanical

or navigational systems. In their final report

released in 2000, the National Transportation

Safety Board concluded that the crash was

caused by an inexperienced pilot who became

disoriented in the dark and lost control.

RELATED VIDEOS



FACT CHECK We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see

something that doesn't look right, contact us

(http://www.history.com/support)!

ALSO ON THIS DAY

Lead Story

1945Atom bomb successfullytested (/this-day-in-history/atom-bomb-successfully-tested)On this day in 1945, at 5:29:45 a.m., the

Manhattan Project comes to an explosive end as

the first atom bomb is successfully tested in

Alamogordo, New Mexico. Plans for the creation

(/this-day-in-history/atom-bomb-successfully-tested)

http://www.history.com/support

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atom-bomb-successfully-tested




Read More (/this-day-in-history/atom-bomb-successfully-

tested)

Read More (/this-day-in-history/anthony-wayne-earns-

nickname)

of a uranium bomb by the Allies were

established as early as 1939, when Italian emigre

physicist Enrico Fermi...

American Revolution

1779Anthony Wayne earnsnickname (/this-day-in-history/anthony-wayne-earns-nickname)On this day in 1779, American Brigadier General

Anthony Wayne launches a coup de main

against British fortifications at Stony Point, New

York, on the orders of General George

Washington. He earns the moniker “Mad”

Anthony Wayne for the ensuing maneuver. The

British fort on the cliffs at Stony Point

overlooking...








http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/anthony-wayne-earns-nickname

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/anthony-wayne-earns-nickname



Read More (/this-day-in-history/worlds-first-parking-meter-

installed)

Automotive

1935World’s first parkingmeter installed (/this-day-in-history/worlds-first-parking-meter-installed)The world’s first parking meter, known as Park-

O-Meter No. 1, is installed on the southeast

corner of what was then First Street and

Robinson Avenue in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

on this day in 1935. The parking meter was the

brainchild of a man named Carl C. Magee, who

moved to Oklahoma...

Civil War

1863Draft riots continue torock New York City




http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/worlds-first-parking-meter-installed

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/worlds-first-parking-meter-installed

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/draft-riots-continue-to-rock-new-york-city



Read More (/this-day-in-history/draft-riots-continue-to-rock-

new-york-city)

(/this-day-in-history/draft-riots-continue-to-rock-new-york-city)The draft riots enter their fourth day in New

York City in response to the Enrollment Act,

which was enacted on March 3, 1863. Although

avoiding military service became much more

difficult, wealthier citizens could still pay a

commutation fee of $300 to stay at home.

Irritation with the draft...

Cold War

1945United States conductsfirst test of the atomicbomb (/this-day-in-history/united-states-conducts-first-test-of-the-atomic-bomb)






http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/united-states-conducts-first-test-of-the-atomic-bomb



Read More (/this-day-in-history/united-states-conducts-first-

test-of-the-atomic-bomb)

The United States conducts the first test of the

atomic bomb at at the Trinity bomb site in

central New Mexico. The terrifying new weapon

would quickly become a focal point in the Cold

War between the United States and the Soviet

Union. The official U.S. development of the

atomic bomb...

Crime

1979An army doctor is

Advertisement




http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/united-states-conducts-first-test-of-the-atomic-bomb

http://www.history.com/static/adFrame.html?uri=http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5936/adj/aetn.hist.tdih/generalinterest;s1=generalinterest;pid=this-day-in-history_jfk-jr-killed-in-plane-crash;kw=;test=;aetn=ad;ad=;sz=300x250;pos=bottom;tile=%7B%7Baetn_ad_tile%7D%7D;amznslots=a3x2p14,a7x9p8,a3x6p2;dc_ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.history.com%2Fthis-day-in-history%2Fjfk-jr-killed-in-plane-crash;ord=299734128?#

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/an-army-doctor-is-accused-of-stabbing-his-family-to-death



Read More (/this-day-in-history/an-army-doctor-is-accused-

of-stabbing-his-family-to-death)

accused of stabbing hisfamily to death (/this-day-in-history/an-army-doctor-is-accused-of-stabbing-his-family-to-death)Jeffrey MacDonald stands trial in North Carolina

for the murder of his wife and children nearly 10

years before. Captain MacDonald, an army

doctor stationed at Fort Bragg, made an

emergency call to military police in the early

morning hours of February 17, 1970.

Responding officers found Colette MacDonald

and...

Disaster

1990Earthquake wreakshavoc in the Philippines(/this-day-in-

THIS DAY IN HISTORY (/THIS-DAY-IN-HISTORY) : JUL 16PREVIOUS DAY (/THIS-DAY-IN-HISTORY/VERSACE-MURDERED-IN-CUNANAN-KILLING-SPREE)PREVIOUS DAY (/THIS-DAY-IN-HISTORY/MARINER-4-STUDIES-MARTIAN-SURFACE)PREVIOUS DAY (/THIS-DAY-IN-HISTORY/PIKE-EXPEDITION-SETS-OUT)PREVIOUS DAY (/THIS-DAY-IN-HISTORY/REMBRANDT-BORN)NEXT DAY (/THIS-DAY-IN-HISTORY/FLIGHT-800-EXPLODES-OVER-LONG-ISLAND)NEXT DAY (/THIS-DAY-IN-HISTORY/SUPERPOWERS-MEET-IN-SPACE)NEXT DAY (/THIS-DAY-IN-HISTORY/WRONG-WAY-CORRIGAN-CROSSES-THE-

ATLANTIC)






http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/earthquake-wreaks-havoc-in-the-philippines

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/versace-murdered-in-cunanan-killing-spree

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mariner-4-studies-martian-surface

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pike-expedition-sets-out

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/rembrandt-born

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/flight-800-explodes-over-long-island

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/superpowers-meet-in-space

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/wrong-way-corrigan-crosses-the-atlantic



Read More (/this-day-in-history/earthquake-wreaks-havoc-

in-the-philippines)

history/earthquake-wreaks-havoc-in-the-philippines)More than 1,000 people are killed when a 7.7-

magnitude earthquake strikes Luzon Island in

the Philippines on this day in 1990. The massive

tremor wreaked havoc across a sizeable portion

of Luzon, the country’s largest island, with

Baguio City suffering the most devastating

effects. The epicenter of the quake, which...

General Interest

1769First Catholic mission inCalifornia dedicated(/this-day-in-history/first-catholic-mission-in-california-dedicated)






http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-catholic-mission-in-california-dedicated



Read More (/this-day-in-history/first-catholic-mission-in-

california-dedicated)

Read More (/this-day-in-history/apollo-11-departs-earth)

Father Junipero Serra, a Spanish Franciscan

missionary, founds the first Catholic mission in

California on the site of present-day San Diego.

After Serra blessed his new outpost of

Christianity in a high mass, the royal standard of

Spain was unfurled over the mission, which he

named San Diego de Alcala.Serra...

1969Apollo 11 departs Earth(/this-day-in-history/apollo-11-departs-earth)At 9:32 a.m. EDT, Apollo 11, the first U.S. lunar

landing mission, is launched from Cape

Canaveral, Florida, on a historic journey to the

surface of the moon. After traveling 240,000

miles in 76 hours, Apollo 11 entered into a lunar

orbit on July 19.The next day, at 1:46 p.m.,...




http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-catholic-mission-in-california-dedicated




http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/apollo-11-departs-earth

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/apollo-11-departs-earth



Read More (/this-day-in-history/funnyman-will-ferrell-born)

Hollywood

1967Funnyman Will Ferrellborn (/this-day-in-history/funnyman-will-ferrell-born)On this day in 1967,the actor and comedian Will

Ferrell is born in Irvine, California. After rising to

fame on TV’s Saturday Night Live, Ferrell starred

in a string of big-screen comedies, including Old

School and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky

Bobby. Ferrell graduated from the University of

Southern California...

Advertisement




http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/funnyman-will-ferrell-born

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/funnyman-will-ferrell-born




Read More (/this-day-in-history/catcher-in-the-rye-is-

published)

Literary

1951Catcher in the Rye ispublished (/this-day-in-history/catcher-in-the-rye-is-published)J.D. Salinger’s only novel, The Catcher in the Rye,

is published by Little, Brown on this day in 1951.

The book, about a confused teenager

disillusioned by the...

Music

1966Tommy James and theShondells are rescuedfrom oblivion by their#1 hit “Hanky Panky”




http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/catcher-in-the-rye-is-published

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/catcher-in-the-rye-is-published

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tommy-james-and-the-shondells-are-rescued-from-oblivion-by-their-1-hit-hanky-panky



Read More (/this-day-in-history/tommy-james-and-the-

shondells-are-rescued-from-oblivion-by-their-1-hit-hanky-

panky)

(/this-day-in-history/tommy-james-and-the-shondells-are-rescued-from-oblivion-by-their-1-hit-hanky-panky)By the standard laws of pop success, 17-year old

Tommy James and his band The Shondells had

already had their chance and missed it by the

winter of 1965-66. They’d recorded a couple of

records while still in high school, but when

neither managed to gain attention outside of

southwest...

Old West

1808Lewis and Clark helpform Missouri FurCompany (/this-day-in-






http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lewis-and-clark-help-form-missouri-fur-company



Read More (/this-day-in-history/lewis-and-clark-help-form-

missouri-fur-company)

history/lewis-and-clark-help-form-missouri-fur-company)Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, two of the

few white men who had actually seen the

mysterious territory of the Far West, help form a

new company to exploit the region’s abundant

fur-bearing animals. In September 1806, William

Clark and Meriwether Lewis completed their

epic journey to the Pacific Ocean, arriving...

Presidential

1790Congress declaresWashington, D.C., newcapital (/this-day-in-history/congress-declares-washington-d-c-new-capital)






http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/congress-declares-washington-d-c-new-capital



Read More (/this-day-in-history/congress-declares-

washington-d-c-new-capital)

On this day in 1790, the young American

Congress declares that a swampy, humid,

muddy and mosquito-infested site on the

Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia

will be the nation’s permanent capital.

“Washington,” in the newly designated federal

“District of Columbia,” was named after the

leader of the American Revolution...

2002Bush unveils strategyfor homeland security(/this-day-in-history/bush-unveils-strategy-for-homeland-security)On this day in 2002, President George W. Bush

announces his plan for strengthening homeland

security in the wake of the shocking September

11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and

Washington, D.C., in which nearly 3,000 people

had been killed. In the immediate aftermath of

the disaster, in an...




http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/congress-declares-washington-d-c-new-capital

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/bush-unveils-strategy-for-homeland-security



Read More (/this-day-in-history/bush-unveils-strategy-for-

homeland-security)

Sports

1948Durocher leavesDodgers to manageGiants (/this-day-in-history/durocher-leaves-dodgers-to-manage-giants)

Advertisement




http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/bush-unveils-strategy-for-homeland-security

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/durocher-leaves-dodgers-to-manage-giants



Read More (/this-day-in-history/durocher-leaves-dodgers-to-

manage-giants)

OnJuly 16,1948, Brooklyn Dodgers Manager Leo

Durocher announces that he will be joining the

New York Giants, the Dodgers’ archrival. The

move was the swiftest and most stunning

managerial change in baseball history. Leo “The

Lip” Durocher was a brilliant shortstop and

mediocre hitter for 17 major league seasons

with four...

Vietnam War

1965McNamara visits SouthVietnam (/this-day-in-history/mcnamara-visits-south-vietnam)Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara

conducts a fact-finding mission in South

Vietnam, and Henry Cabot Lodge arrives in

Saigon to resume his post as ambassador.

Lodge had previously held the ambassadorship,




http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/durocher-leaves-dodgers-to-manage-giants

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mcnamara-visits-south-vietnam



Read More (/this-day-in-history/mcnamara-visits-south-

vietnam)

but resigned in 1964 to seek the Republican

presidential nomination, which was eventually

won by Barry Goldwater of Arizona....

1973Senate beginsinvestigations intosecret bombing ofCambodia (/this-day-in-history/senate-begins-investigations-into-secret-bombing-of-cambodia)The Senate Armed Services Committee begins a

probe into allegations that the U.S. Air Force

made thousands of secret B-52 raids into

Cambodia in 1969 and 1970 at a time when the

United States recognized the neutrality of the

Prince Norodom Sihanouk regime in Cambodia.

The Pentagon acknowledged that President...




http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mcnamara-visits-south-vietnam




http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/senate-begins-investigations-into-secret-bombing-of-cambodia



Read More (/this-day-in-history/senate-begins-

investigations-into-secret-bombing-of-cambodia)

Read More (/this-day-in-history/romanov-family-executed)

World War I

1918Romanov familyexecuted (/this-day-in-history/romanov-family-executed)In Yekaterinburg, Russia, Czar Nicholas II and his

family are executed by the Bolsheviks, bringing

an end to the three-century-old Romanov

dynasty. Crowned in 1896, Nicholas was neither

trained nor inclined to rule, which did not help

the autocracy he sought to preserve among a

people desperate for change. The disastrous...

World War II

1940Marshal Petainbecomes premier of

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/senate-begins-investigations-into-secret-bombing-of-cambodia




http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/romanov-family-executed

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/romanov-family-executed

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/marshal-petain-becomes-premier-of-occupied-france-2



Read More (/this-day-in-history/marshal-petain-becomes-

premier-of-occupied-france-2)

occupied France (/this-day-in-history/marshal-petain-becomes-premier-of-occupied-france-2)On this day in 1940, Marshal Henri-Philippe

Petain, World War I hero, becomes prime

minister of the Vichy government of France. As

Germany began to overrun more French

territory, the French Cabinet became desperate

for a solution to this crisis. Premier Paul

Reynaud continued to hold out hope, refusing to

ask...








1945The first atomic bombtest is successfullyexploded (/this-day-in-history/the-first-atomic-bomb-test-is-successfully-exploded)On this day in 1945, at 5:29:45 a.m., the

Manhattan Project comes to an explosive end as

the first atom bomb is successfully tested in

Alamogordo, New Mexico. Plans for the creation

of a uranium bomb by the Allies were

established as early as 1939, when Italian emigre

physicist Enrico Fermi...

Advertisement

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-first-atomic-bomb-test-is-successfully-exploded


Documents

JFK Jr. Killed in Plane Crash - Jul 16, 1999 - HISTORY.com