Editing John F. Kennedy Jr. (section)

== Death ==

{{Main|1999 Martha's Vineyard plane crash}}

Kennedy wanted to become a pilot since he was a child. Kennedy took flying lessons at the Flight Safety Academy in [[Vero Beach, Florida]],<ref name="Andersen, p. 316"/> and received his pilot's license in April 1998.<ref name=Landau117>Landau, p. 117.</ref> The death of his cousin [[Michael LeMoyne Kennedy|Michael]] in a skiing accident<ref>Blow, p. 301.</ref> had prompted John to take a hiatus from his piloting lessons for three months. Kennedy's sister, Caroline, hoped this would be permanent but when he resumed, she did little to stop Kennedy.<ref>Heymann, p. 478-479.</ref>

On July 16, 1999, Kennedy departed from [[Fairfield Township, Essex County, New Jersey|Fairfield, New Jersey]], at the controls of his [[Piper Saratoga]] light aircraft. He was traveling with his wife [[Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy|Carolyn]] and sister-in-law Lauren Bessette. Lauren was to be dropped off at [[Martha's Vineyard]] and Kennedy and his wife would continue on to [[Hyannis Port, Massachusetts]], to attend the wedding of his cousin [[Rory Kennedy]]. He had purchased the plane from Air Bound Aviation on April 28.<ref>Heymann, p. 32.</ref> Carolyn and Lauren were passengers sitting in the second row of seats.<ref>Heymann, p. 36.</ref> Kennedy had checked in with the [[control tower]] at the [[Martha's Vineyard Airport]] but the plane was reported missing after it failed to arrive on schedule.<ref name=Heymann499>Heymann, p. 499.</ref>

Officials were not hopeful about finding survivors after aircraft debris and a black suitcase belonging to Bessette were recovered from the Atlantic Ocean.<ref name=WashingtonPost/> President [[Bill Clinton]] gave his support to the Kennedy family during the search for the three missing passengers.<ref name=WashingtonPost>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/jfkjr/stories/kennedy071899.htm|title=JFK Jr. Feared Dead in Plane Crash|date=July 18, 1999|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|first=Michael|last=Grunwald}}</ref>

On July 18, a Coast Guard admiral declared an end to the rescue efforts.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gellman|first=Barton|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/jfkjr/stories/kennedy071999.htm|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|title=No Hope of Survivors, Admiral Tells Families|date=July 19, 1999}}</ref> Within the next two days, the fragments of Kennedy's plane were found by [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]] vessel [[NOAAS Rude
|''Rude'']] using side-scan sonar, subsequently prompting Navy divers to descend into the {{Cvt|62|F}} water. They found part of the shattered plane strewn over a broad area of seabed {{Convert|120|ft}} below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.<ref>Klein, p. 222.</ref> The search ended in the late afternoon of July 21 when high-resolution images of the ocean bottom<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1999/07/22/divers-find-bodies/|title=Divers Found Bodies|date=July 22, 1999|work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> helped Navy divers recover the three bodies from the ocean floor. The bodies were taken by motorcade to the county medical examiner's office.<ref name="washpo timeline"/> Divers found Carolyn's and Lauren's bodies near the twisted and broken fuselage while Kennedy's body was still strapped into the pilot's seat.<ref name=Heymann499/> Admiral Richard M. Larrabee of the Coast Guard said that all three bodies were "near and under" the fuselage, still strapped in.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/22/us/bodies-from-kennedy-crash-are-found.html|last=Allen|first=Mike|date=July 22, 1999|work=[[The New York Times]]|title=Bodies From Kennedy Crash Are Found}}</ref>

The [[National Transportation Safety Board]] determined that pilot error was the probable cause of the crash: "Kennedy's failure to maintain control of the airplane during a descent over water at night, which was a result of [[spatial disorientation]]."<ref>{{Cite web |title=NYC99MA178: Full Narrative |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/about/employment/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief2.aspx?ev_id=20001212X19354&ntsbno=NYC99MA178&akey=1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110101526/https://www.ntsb.gov/about/employment/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief2.aspx?ev_id=20001212X19354&ntsbno=NYC99MA178&akey=1 |archive-date=January 10, 2017 |website=ntsb.gov}}</ref>

Later that evening, the bodies were autopsied at the county medical examiner's office and taken from [[Hyannis, Massachusetts|Hyannis]] to [[Duxbury, Massachusetts]], where they were cremated in the Mayflower Cemetery crematorium.<ref name="DuxburyClipper">{{cite news|url=http://theduxburyfile.wikispaces.com/file/view/John+F+Kennedy+Jr+Cremated+in+Duxbury,+July+1999.pdf|title=Kennedy cremated in Duxbury|last=Maxwell|first=Paula|date=July 28, 1999|work=Duxbury Clipper|access-date=November 29, 2012|location=Duxbury, MA|archive-date=January 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104004422/http://theduxburyfile.wikispaces.com/file/view/John+F+Kennedy+Jr+Cremated+in+Duxbury,+July+1999.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>Doing this wrong, but the preceding link is dead. [https://web.archive.org/web/20190709184759/https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b16b2389772aeb3c1acfbc1/t/5c8aa892fa0d600ba593a6bf/1552590994569/1999_07_John+F+Kennedy+Jr+Cremated+in+Duxbury.pdf Here's a copy of that report].</ref> The families announced their plans for memorial services the same day.<ref name="washpo timeline">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/jfkjr/recovery.htm|title=Crash and Search Time Line|date=July 22, 1999|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=November 29, 2012}}</ref> The autopsy determined that the crash victims had died upon impact. Ted Kennedy favored a public service for John, while Caroline Kennedy insisted on family privacy.<ref>Landau, p. 20.</ref> On the morning of July 22, their ashes were scattered at sea from the Navy [[destroyer]] {{USS|Briscoe|DD-977|6}} off the coast of Martha's Vineyard.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gellman |first=Barton|title=Kennedy, Bessettes Given Shipboard Rites |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/jfkjr/stories/kennedy072399.htm |author2=Ferdinand, Pamela |date=July 23, 1999|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|pages=A1| access-date=May 22, 2008}}</ref>

A memorial service was held for Kennedy on July 23, 1999, at the [[St. Thomas More Church (New York City)|Church of St. Thomas More]] in [[New York City]], a parish that Kennedy had often attended with his mother and sister. The invitation-only service was attended by hundreds of mourners, including President Bill Clinton, who presented the family with photo albums of John and Carolyn on their visit to the White House from the previous year.<ref>Landau, p. 23.</ref>

=== Will ===
Kennedy's last will and testament stipulated that his personal belongings, property, and holdings were to be "evenly distributed" among his sister Caroline’s three children – [[Rose Schlossberg|Rose]], [[Tatiana Schlossberg|Tatiana]], and [[Jack Schlossberg|Jack]] – who were among 14 beneficiaries in his will.<ref name="Heymann499" />  A [[Scrimshaw|scrimshaw set]] that belonged to his father, President Kennedy, was left to his nephew Jack.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=1999-09-25 |title=JFK Jr.'s Will Leaves Personal Effects to Caroline's Children |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-sep-25-mn-13864-story.html |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>