On July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy, Jr. was killed when the Piper Saratoga light aircraft he was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

His wife, Carolyn Jeanne Bessette and sister-in-law, Lauren Gail Bessette, were also killed. The flight originated at Essex County Airport (CDW) in Fairfield Township, Essex County, New Jersey. The intended flight path was along the coastline of Connecticut and across Rhode Island Sound to Martha's Vineyard Airport (MVY).

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded the crash was caused by Kennedy's failure to maintain control of the airplane during a descent over water at night. The NTSB and other aviation professionals, have cited additional interrelated factors that may have contributed to the crash. Hazy conditions existed on the night of the crash.

Haze, especially at night, can lead to spatial disorientation for pilots. Although the weather was officially listed as VFR (Visual Flight Rules), allowing Kennedy to fly that night despite his lack of an IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) rating, the visibility was poor in Essex County, New Jersey, and airports along his flight path reported visibilities between 5 and 8 miles with haze and few clouds. Other pilots flying similar routes on the night of the accident reported no visual horizon while flying over the water because of haze.

At least one pilot interviewed by the NTSB in the subsequent crash investigation canceled his flight to Martha's Vineyard that night: "Based only on the current weather conditions at CDW, the fact that I could not get my friends to come with me, and the fact that I would not have to spend money on a hotel room in Martha's Vineyard, I made the decision to fly my airplane to Martha's Vineyard on Saturday." The conditions near the crash site were "Clear skies at or below 12,000 feet; visibility 10 miles".

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