NTSB Advisory
National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594
July 6, 2000

NTSB RELEASES FINAL REPORT ON INVESTIGATION OF CRASH OF AIRCRAFT PILOTED BY JOHN F. KENNEDY, Jr.

WASHINGTON - The National Transportation Safety Board today released its final report on the crash of a Piper Saratoga II aircraft last summer that killed the pilot, John F. Kennedy, Jr.; his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy; and her sister, Lauren Bessette. The airplane crashed about 9:41 p.m., on July 16, 1999, near Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

The probable cause of the accident, as stated in the accident report, is:

"The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during a descent over water at night, which was a result of spatial disorientation. Factors in the accident were haze and the dark night."

The accident report may be accessed through the aviation synopses Web page <http://www.ntsb.gov/Aviation/accident.htm>. The NTSB accident number is NYC99MA178.

NTSB Media Contact: Paul Schlamm (202) 314-6100