Ann Freeman, the mother of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and Lauren Bessette, had a maternal instinct when it came to flying her daughters with John F. Kennedy Jr.
The 38-year-old son of President John F. Kennedy was flying with Carolyn (33) and Lauren (34) on the plane when it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on July 16, 1999, killing all three.
The trio flew to Martha’s Vineyard to drop off Carolyn’s sister Lauren, then flew on to Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, to attend John’s cousin Rory’s wedding the next day.
However, Ann reportedly told JFK Jr. that he should never fly with two of her daughters at the same time.
According to a new book, JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography, written by PEOPLE Editor-in-Chief Liz McNeil and RoseMarie Terenzio, Lauren and Carolyn’s mother, had issued the warning before they both boarded the small plane in 1999.
John F. Kennedy, Jr. and his wife Carolyn at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner in May 1999 – two months before they died
“She was in a panic,” RoseMarie wrote of the grieving mother in the book.
“She said something like, ‘I told him never to take two of my girls upstairs at the same time.’”
The author said Ann was “angry” after her daughters’ deaths.
“Crying. It was panic, shock. Disbelief,” she recalled.
Although it was 38-year-old JFK Jr., an inexperienced pilot, who was flying the small Piper Saratoga plane when it crashed, Carolyn is often blamed for the accident.
After the ‘Kennedy tragedy’ it was reported that Carolyn’s vanity, her superficiality, her drug use and her general ‘rascally’ behavior caused an inexperienced pilot – despite violating many flying regulations – to crash his plane into the ocean.
According to DailyMail.com columnist Maureen Callahan, Carolyn told friends and family that she “didn’t trust” her husband’s flying skills in her book Ask Not: The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed.
She wrote that Carolyn did not think JFK Jr. — the late president’s only son — had the patience, diligence or attention span to be a good pilot.
He reportedly did not take his training seriously, did not have enough flying hours to fly alone, and frequently broke regulations by secretly flying solo when he should have had an instructor with him.
Ann Freeman (right) pictured at the memorial service in Greenwich, Connecticut, for Lauren Bessette in 1999
JFK Jr. was flying the plane carrying Carolyn, 33, and Lauren, 34, when it tragically crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on July 16, 1999. Pictured: Carolyn and Lauren in New York City in 1998
John F Kennedy Jr. sitting in the cockpit with his wife Carolyn in 1998 (he is pictured in an airplane the same year)
While it was 38-year-old JFK Jr., an inexperienced pilot, who was flying the small Piper Saratoga plane when it crashed; Carolyn is often blamed for the accident
According to the book by DailyMail.com columnist Maureen Callahan, Carolyn told friends and family that she “didn’t trust” her husband’s flying skills. Pictured in 1996
On the night of the fatal crash, another pilot of a small plane told JFK Jr. that he was concerned about the deteriorating visibility in the sky and suggested that he wait.
However, the eager pilot replied, “Not a chance.”
A flight instructor offered to go with him, but he declined. “I want to do it alone,” he said.
Before JFK Jr.’s scheduled takeoff, four other pilots had to use their instruments to land in the increasing fog. Other, much more experienced pilots looked up at the sky that night and said, No way.
At 8:38 p.m., JFK Jr. was cleared to take off in his Piper Saratoga despite violating one of the most basic rules of aviation: he had not filed a flight plan. Once airborne, he ignored another and broke off all communication with air traffic control.
Less than 20 minutes later, Carolyn and Lauren were strapped into the backseat, the small plane on a collision course with a commercial American Airlines flight.
The pilots tried to reach the plane, but heard nothing good. They sent an emergency message to air traffic control, but they could not get in touch with the plane either.
Not knowing which way the unsuspecting pilot of the small propeller plane was flying, the American Airlines pilots had to deviate from their flight path to avoid a fatal mid-air collision.
JFK Jr. checks his plane at Caldwell Airport in New Jersey in October 1998
Wreckage of JFK Jr.’s plane being lifted from the water
A Coast Guard helicopter lifts a rescue swimmer from the water during the search for wreckage from JFK Jr.’s plane in 1999
JFK Jr. continued to climb to 5,500 feet. Despite the fog and deteriorating visibility, he did not engage his autopilot. And he did not continue to fly along the illuminated coastline.
Instead, he turned right and flew across the Atlantic Ocean. Before he knew it, the sea and sky had turned into one black mass and he could no longer tell what was up and what was down.
The plane entered a spiral runway and fell nose first into the ocean at a speed of 900 feet per minute, 200 miles per hour.
Aviation expert Jeff Guzzetti, who was part of the team that examined the wreckage, said PEOPLE that this may have played a role in Kennedy losing control of the plane, as he had to rely solely on internal monitors and controls as he flew through the foggy night sky.
“He was trained to look outside for visual cues,” he said. “There were no visual cues.”
After the fatal accident, the National Transportation Safety Board determined that John was solely responsible for this completely preventable tragedy.
In 2001, Carolyn and Lauren’s mother, Ann, reportedly received millions in damages from his estate for wrongful death.