10 Years Later: A Look Back at the Historic Search for JFK Jr.’s Plane

John Ewald
NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey

August, 19 2009 — It’s hard to believe that it was 10 years ago this July that a small plane piloted by John F. Kennedy Jr. crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in an accident that drew worldwide attention and a media frenzy.

For Office of Coast Survey scientists, professionals, and NOAA Corps officers who were on the scene of the crash or involved with search and recovery efforts, it was a day they’ll never forget.

NOAA to the Recovery

At the request of the U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA dispatched its hydrographic survey ships, the Rude and Whiting, to the scene of the accident off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. The two ships (now decommissioned), which conducted routine sea-floor mapping operations for NOAA’s national suite of nautical charts, used sophisticated sonar equipment to locate the missing plane.

"We were working round-the-clock searching for debris," said Office of Coast Survey’s Cmdr. Larry Krepp, who was an officer on the Whiting at the time. "It was difficult because the search area was large, and the aircraft was relatively small."

For several days, the two ships tirelessly searched a large area of the coast, while an onshore team used the side-scan data to create charts pinpointing potential crash sites. 

"Numerous rocky areas were being seen on the side-scan trace," said Krepp. "We were searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack."

After three days of surveying, Rude’s side-scan sonar detected a suspicious object on the ocean floor. A temporary buoy was dropped, and U.S. Navy divers soon identified the target as the plane that carried John F. Kennedy, Jr., his wife Carolyn, and sister-in-law Lauren Bessette.

Eyes and Ears, Beneath the Surface

To find downed planes and other objects lost at sea, NOAA hydrographic survey units use side-scan sonar, a specialized sonar system. Like other sonars, it transmits sound energy and analyzes the return signal (echo) that has bounced off objects resting on the seafloor.

The strength of the return echo is continuously recorded to create a "picture" of the ocean bottom. Although the shape of the seafloor and objects on it can be well-depicted, most side-scan systems can not, however, provide any depth information.

At the Ready, When the Nation Calls

Today, NOAA’s mission to chart America’s oceans and coasts — a legacy that has spanned two centuries — continues onboard three large survey ships, a Chesapeake Bay area research vessel, and six regional Navigation Response Teams.

NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey is often called upon by federal or state governments, port authorities or local officials to conduct emergency survey operations immediately following a natural disaster or accident. NOAA vessels and the agency’s three-person Navigation Response Teams have responded to high-profile incidents such as Hurricane Katrina and, more recently, the crash landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River in January.