Minute-By-Minute: John F. Kennedy Jr.'s Last Day Alive Revisited 26 Years After Tragic Fatal Plane Crash
John F. Kennedy Jr.'s final day alive has been revealed minute by minute.
July 17 2025, Published 6:36 p.m. ET
RadarOnline.com can reveal the final moments of John F. Kennedy Jr.'s life 26 years after his sudden death shocked the nation.
JFK Jr. died alongside his wife Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and her sister Lauren in a plane crash on July 16, 1999.
When recalling the day John died, his former personal assistant and close friend Rose-Marie Terenzio said the news was "earth-shattering."
John's Morning
John woke up at the Stanhope hotel, where he had been staying after a brief split with Carolyn.
The late President John F. Kennedy's only son's final day began at the Stanhope Hotel in New York City, where he had been staying after a brief split with Carolyn.
In the days leading up to the fatal crash, John and Carolyn had been fighting. John reached an emotional breaking point and called his older sister Caroline, confessing over the phone he was worried about his wife's drug use. The brother and sister discussed a possible intervention and marriage counseling.
A cousin said: "It was terribly tragic what John was going through in his final days. He had some very explosive matters he was dealing with."
He checked out of the hotel at 9 A.M. and headed to breakfast at the Carlyle Hotel on Madison Avenue.
Despite the rough patch in his marriage, John was hopeful after reconciling with Carolyn and the two planned to spend the weekend together at his cousin's wedding in Massachusetts.
Carolyn's friend Jessica Bruno recalled speaking to her that day: "Carolyn sounded rather chipper. Having made up over the phone, they were looking forward to spending the weekend together."
John Confirms Flight With Airport
John confirmed his flight with the Essex County Airport around noon.
After breakfast, John headed to his office around 10 A.M. He spent the rest of his morning with the staff of his magazine, George, planning stories and working out financial matters.
Around noon, John received a call from the Essex County Airport in Fairfield, New Jersey, asking if he intended to fly his small Piper Saratoga plane that evening.
John confirmed his plans to take the plane out and requested the aircraft be ready for departure.
He then received a call from a flight instructor asking if he wanted him to fly with him to Martha's Vineyard. John, who had received his pilot's license a year earlier, told the instructor no and that he could handle it.
John met Carolyn's sister Lauren around 6:30 and headed to the airport, where they were meeting his wife.
He left the George office for lunch at Trionfo around 1 P.M. and returned to the office to work at 3 P.M.
Between 5 and 6 P.M., John spoke to his sister-in-law Lauren and agreed to meet her outside his office building at 6:30 P.M. Before he left the office, John checked a weather forecast, which stated all was clear.
John's plane was not certified to fly with instruments only, but the weather conditions for that night complied with his license requirements.
The magazine publisher met Lauren, and the two headed for New Jersey in his car, while Carolyn also made her way through traffic to meet them at the airport.
Other Pilots Express Concern
John sparked concern from veteran pilots when he began his pre-flight check around 8:15 P.M.
Finally making it through traffic, the trio arrived at the Essex County Airport around 8 P.M. A photographer who was tipped off on the trip recalled Carolyn and Lauren looking "fresh and vibrant."
About fifteen minutes later, John began his pre-flight check. Several more experienced pilots wondered why the novice was willing to risk flying at night.
Pilot Kyle Bailey said: "I really did have a bad feeling – and what went through my mind exactly was, 'I hope he does have an instructor with him on the airplane, or he's gonna have a problem.'"
At 8:30 P.M., John rolled the plane onto runway 22 and received clearance to take off. Eight minutes later the plane took flight with Carolyn and Lauren buckled in side-by-side seats in the second row facing the rear.
ATC Loses Communication
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Two minutes into the flight, John radioed air traffic control (ATC) to confirm he was "north of Teterboro... headed eastward."
The message would be the only communication John had with air traffic control and the final time his voice was heard outside the plane.
At 8:49 P.M., ATC attempted to contact John because he was on the same path as an American Airlines plane carrying 120 passengers.
The American Airlines pilot was able to reach ATC to report he spotted John's plane, which was climbing up to 5,500 and apparently unaware of the near collision.
Around 9:30 P.M., as John's plane reached Point Judith, Rhode Island, the weather took a turn for the worse. Within minutes, the plane was in the Atlantic Ocean.
John, Carolyn and Lauren's bodies were recovered days later on July 21 after an extensive search and rescue mission.
The National Transportation Safety Board later concluded the crash was the result of pilot error, stating: "Kennedy's failure to maintain control of the airplane during a descent over water at night, which was a result of spatial disorientation."
