I watched this docuumentary, which dovetails with a discussion within a thread complementing the Obama's parenting skills.

The documentary did a reasonably good job, with the circumstances leading up to the accident, and actually pointed out a few aviation issues that none of us came up with when researching and discussing it then.

First off, I have learned that documentaries like this are typically inaccurate and you have to take them not with a grain of salt, but the whole shaker. So, keep that in mind when considering what they indicated.

Even though several posters came up with some apparantly good background of his life leading to the accident. The poor fellow was indeed dealing with lots of problems at the time as pointed out in the other thread. A pilot is supposed to take such things into account when deciding to fly or not. I attended an FAA WINGS safety program a year or two ago that stressed how imporrtant it is that you stay on the ground, or at least out of a pilots seat during such times.

From the show, they indicated that he was taking pain killers for his broken ankle. Again, you have to take it with a grain of salt, BUT IF this is true, he violated the law the second he lifted off the runway. It is illegal to fly with ANY kind of pain medication to include things as simple as an over the counter sinus pill, much less prescription pain medicine.

It's quite interesting that the NTSB chose not to include a toxicology report. If they did, I missed it. That said, under the circumstances, there was nothing to be gained by making such information public, although it would be VERY important information to be analyzed by the investigators.

Another aviation issue that was pointed out in the documentary was his route. When I looked at the aviation charts, it occurred to me that if he had followed the coast line to a point North of MV and then turned South, he would have not been over the water for very long and possibly could have kept the shore in sight, maintaining the horizon, which for an inexperienced, unqualified instrument pilot is everything.

Anyway it was quite an interesting documentary about a quite interesting accident.

Although I still believe his attitude is what led to his death, if he had not been under such stress in all areas of his life and not on pain medicine, if that was true, he might have made better decisions and still be with us. And if so, with almost fifteen years farther along in his lifes experience and with the name, clout and backing he might well have had, might be doing great things for America, or at least less bad things.

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Where did you find the documentary, I googled it and saw nothing?

It was on TV yesterday, by the title I used for the thread. I might have gotten the title slightly wrong. I think it was on CRNT network.

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Good find, Larry.

So, perhaps the NTSB may have been involved in a conspiracy to cover up the truth, by the absence of the ALL important toxicology report on the pilot's body. The Clinton gang was in charge of the pResidency, so I can see how that may potentially have happened.

(Bot engages foil hat for the duration)

(Don't forget the propeller on top!)

I'm pretty sure that Lee Harvey Oswald doesn't hold a pilot's license.

Found it, thank you very much. Who would fly at night with someone that is recovering from a broken ankle from crashing an unltra-light plane?

I can't answer that, but I thought the same thing.

AFAIAC the ankle is a non issue UNLESS he was indeed taking pain medication.

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You want a conspiracy theory? I got one for you!

I read "Dr Mary's Monkey" a couple months ago. No, it's not porno, calm down boys. It's a full-on, footnoted theory of all kinda shyte. If you like conspiracies you'll love this one!

http://doctormarysmonkey.com/index.htm

Looks like fun. Ima order a copy. Unless doodsky will lend me his.

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I still maintain that ego was what killed him, even more than a lack of experience.
I had to fly down to FL, in possibly dicey conditions.
I'm not IFR rated, but had experience, and was flying an IFR equipped Piper Archer.
I brought along an IFR instructor with me for the trip, paid him for his sitting time while I did my business thing, and logged those hours. I didn't encounter any real IFR conditions, but did some under the hood time. Win/Win/Win. I get there safely both ways, one of many hungry instructors got to be paid, and I gained valuable experience.

His Saratoga left out of Caldwell Airport in NJ. This is not a little grass field, but a nice airport with all facilities including multiple flight schools with ample opportunity to get an instructor, especially if your name is JFK Jr.

The Saratoga also seats 6(or conservatively definitely 3 or 4 plus luggage), so weight wouldn't have been a factor.
We know money wasn't a factor.
from an ABC TV article...
John F. Kennedy Jr. turned down an offer by one of his flying instructors to accompany him the night of his fatal flight to Martha’s Vineyard, saying he “wanted to do it alone,” federal investigators say.

In its final report on the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board said the instructor who offered to go with him was not “comfortable” with having Kennedy alone at the controls that evening, given the route and the weather conditions.

Kennedy’s single-engine Piper Saratoga crashed as he was flying with his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and her sister, Lauren Bessette, from Fairfield, N.J., just outside New York City, to Martha’s Vineyard on July 16, 1999. All three died.

Disorientation Caused Crash

The NTSB concluded the probable cause of JFK Jr.’s fatal plane crash was “failure to maintain control of the airplane” due to spatial disorientation of the pilot.

Haze and the darkness of the night were also cited as factors. Nothing was found to be wrong with Kennedy’s plane.

The NTSB report, released Thursday, also noted that Kennedy had limited experience with night flight. He had logged 310 hours as a pilot, but needed additional training in flying by instruments, the report said.

ABCNEWS aviation consultant John Nance told Good Morning America that spatial disorientation can happen to even the most experienced pilots.

“It’s the inability of our head to be able to tell us, if we don’t have visual cues, whether of not we are right-side up. And it’s something that can affect any pilot,” Nance said. “Most of us have gotten by with it. John Kennedy didn’t.”

Tensions Between Family, NTSB

The probe into the crash caused friction between Kennedy’s uncle, Sen. Edward Kennedy, and NTSB Chairman James Hall, according to a published report on June 24.

Quoting unnamed sources, the Boston Globe said the difficulties became so pronounced that the White House asked a go-between to mediate.

The sources said the Kennedy family felt the NTSB didn’t keep them up to date on the search and investigation.

They said the Massachusetts senator’s office was frustrated that the media often got information before the family did.

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Thanks for the post Gravy. I totally agree that it would have been a win/win/win.

In the documentary I referenced in the OP, they said that someone had called and volunteered to be a co-pilot. In the investigation report, it more accurately described that his CFI had wanted to go along. The CFI would most likely had him hugging the coast rather than saving the five minutes by taking the long stretch over the water at night.

The attached screenshot might be hard to see. If it is not intuitively obvious what it represents let me know. If you look at the upper route, you will see that it hugs the coast, keeping the lights in view for most of the way. Once at the waypoint to the NE of MV, you can then make a short Southwesterly water crossing. The lower route shown on the chart puts him over the water for a LONG time.

In the documentary, they said this would have added five minutes to the trip. That appears to be inaccurate, and it would have added about 15 minutes to the trip. Deciding to save that fifteen minutes was a fatal decision.

Attached Thumbnails

 

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