New book recounts search for John F. Kennedy Jr.’s downed plane

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  A new book by former U.S. Coast Guard Capt. W. Russell Webster and maritime historian Theresa Mitchell Webster recounts the search for John F. Kennedy Jr.’s plane and its passengers in 1999.

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  The plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean southwest of Martha’s Vineyard on July 16, 1999, carrying Kennedy, his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and her sister Lauren Bessette.

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  The Coast Guard launched a search after receiving a report that the plane was missing just after 3 a.m. on July 17.

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  Over five days, 32 agencies searched the ocean for the plane and its passengers.

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  Webster describes the effort as the largest at-sea search for a private citizen in a small-plane crash in U.S. history.

Who

John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and Lauren Bessette were aboard the plane. The Coast Guard and other agencies searched for them.

What

A new book recounts the search for the plane after it crashed into the Atlantic.

When

The plane crashed on July 16, 1999; the search began just after 3 a.m. on July 17.

Where

The plane went down 7.25 miles southwest of Martha’s Vineyard. The search was coordinated from Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

Why

The Coast Guard was alerted that Kennedy’s plane was missing and launched a search and rescue mission.

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