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Was JFK Jr’s body found? What we know about the accident that killed First son and his beloved wife

JFK Jr. was piloting his Piper Saratoga when it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Massachusetts
posted by Ashim Arora
Sunday 8/10/2025 at 4:10PM EDT
  • JFK Jr died at 38 following a plane crash (Photo by Santi Visalli/Getty Images)
    JFK Jr died at 38 following a plane crash (Photo by Santi Visalli/Getty Images)

    The first episode of CNN's three-part docuseries, American Prince: JFK Jr., premiered on Saturday, August 9, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. The limited TV series explores the legacy and life of the slain U.S. President’s son before he died in 1999.

    John F. Kennedy Jr., famously known as John-John, was piloting a Piper PA-32R-301 Saratoga II N9253N, which plunged into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts on July 16, 1999. The attorney-magazine publisher’s wife, Carolyn Bessette, and her sister, Lauren, were the passengers when the plane crashed.

    According to The Washington Post, the JFK Jr.-piloted Piper Saratoga II HP remained in the air for 62 minutes before it descended unexpectedly. The plane crashed before it could make a stop at Martha's Vineyard Airport. The crash sparked search and rescue operations by the Coast Guard. However, the rescue efforts ended on July 18, according to The Washington Post.

    Coast Guard Rear Admiral Richard M. Larrabee announced in a press briefing at the time (via The Washington Post):

    “We did everything we possibly could to find survivors from this incident.”

    According to The Washington Post, Rear Adm. Larrabee also told reporters about the difficult phone call he had with JFK Jr. and the Bessette sisters’ relatives:

    “It was a very difficult phone call for me, and I'm sure it was much more difficult for them. We're in the business of saving lives. . . . This is not the result we were looking for.”

    The search and recovery efforts continued for five days until the bodies of JFK Jr. and the Bessette siblings were discovered on July 21, seven miles southwest of Martha's Vineyard, according to The New York Times. Per the NYT, the bodies of all aboard were found trapped in the fuselage on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, at a depth of 120 feet.

    JFK Jr. was traveling to his cousin Rory Kennedy’s wedding in Hyannis Port, MA, before his plane crashed

    As mentioned earlier, JFK Jr. was flying with his wife and sister-in-law on July 16, 1999. According to the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) report (released in 2000), the Piper Saratoga took off from Essex County Airport in Caldwell, New Jersey, at 8:38 p.m.

    The Kennedy couple was flying to Barnstable Municipal Airport–Boardman/Polando Field (currently known as Cape Cod Gateway Airport) in Hyannis, MA. JFK Jr.’s sister-in-law, Lauren Bessette, was supposed to be dropped off at a stop at Martha's Vineyard Airport.

    However, the plane crashed at 9:41 p.m., and its wreckage wasn’t located until July 20, at a depth of 120 feet. The bodies were discovered on July 21, with multiple sources reporting that they were recovered from the ocean by 4:30 p.m. According to The Washington Post, the autopsies revealed that all aboard died upon impact.

    In its report, the NTSB concluded that the pilot's inexperience and spatial disorientation were the potential causes. According to SKYbrary Aviation Safety, spatial disorientation is a pilot’s inability “to correctly interpret aircraft attitude, altitude, or airspeed.”

    The shocking plane crash and other aspects of JFK Jr.’s life have been explored in the CNN documentary series American Prince: JFK Jr. The upcoming two episodes will air on August 16 and 23.

    TOPICS: JFK Jr., CNN, American Prince: JFK Jr., Human Interest, plane crash


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