On July 16 , 1999 , a small plane crashed off the coast of Martha 's Vineyard , claiming the lives of pilot John F. Kennedy Jr. , his wife Carolyn Bessette and her sister Lauren Bessette . Kennedy 's mother , former U.S. first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis , maintained a home in Aquinnah ( formerly " Gay Head " ) until her death in 1994
small plane crashed
John F. Kennedy Jr. plane crash
Martha's Vineyard