New JFK Jr. Plane Crash Finding Exposes What Could’ve ‘Interfered’ with His Flying as Sources Call Him a ‘Brand New Driver’ with ‘Insufficient Experience’
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Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette is making a generation relive the tragic death of JFK Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette, and her sister Lauren. And though at the time there was an awareness of what happened, now people seem to be delving deeper into exactly what went wrong with their plane and why the plane they were in crashed.
What happened to JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s plane? Why did it crash? And what happened before the crash? Here’s everything we know.
Why Did JFK Jr & Carolyn Bessette’s Plane Crash?
The facts are this: the small plane JFK Jr. was piloting crashed into the ocean on July 16, 1999. JFK Jr., his wife Carolyn, and her sister Lauren all perished in the crash. Months after the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board declared in a report that the most likely cause of the crash was pilot error. Reports indicate Kennedy became disoriented while flying through thick fog over the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. This caused the plane to spiral downward and crash into the ocean.
But some don’t believe that’s the full story. Michael Pangia, a pilot with more than 40 years of experience and a former chief trial lawyer for the Federal Aviation Administration, RadarOnline.com something else might have affected the plane—a phone call made by Carolyn.
“Kennedy was over the water making his approach at that time,” Pangia told the outlet. “It is possible that a cellular phone call could have interfered with his instruments…creating a false reading.”
That’s not all. “There is another consideration – the distraction,” Pangia added. “If you’re not an experienced instrument pilot, just talk in the cockpit is a distraction.” He explained, “A pilot can tolerate distraction if he is instrument rated and doing it all the time. But Kennedy was like a brand new driver who has insufficient experience driving on an icy road at night and someone is babbling away.”
At the time, The Washington Post reported that the plane’s descent lasted around 30 seconds. Navy divers recovered the three bodies on July 21, 1999. Autopsies later concluded they all died upon impact.
“We are filled with unspeakable grief and sadness by the loss of John and Carolyn and Lauren Bessette. John was a shining light in all our lives and in the lives of the nation and the world that first came to know him as a little boy,” Sen. Ted Kennedy said at the time in a statement on behalf of the Kennedy family.
“We are more grateful than we can ever say for the support of our family, our friends, and so many of our fellow Americans who opened their hearts to John,” the statement continued. “We also thank in a very special way the men and women who have worked well and long and hard in these past days to find John, Carolyn, and Lauren. We will never forget the dedication, the professionalism, and the sensitivity they have shown,” the statement continued.
