JFK Jr and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s disturbing final plunge into icy Atlantic Ocean is detailed by aviation expert

Aviation experts have revealed the decisive factors that led to JFK Jr., his wife and her sister crashing fatally into the Atlantic Ocean.

The late president’s beloved son, then 38, crashed his small Piper Saratoga plane into the ocean about seven miles off Martha’s Vineyard in 1999. He was en route to his cousin’s wedding to the couple.

Some claim JFK Jr. was reckless when he decided to fly his wife Carolyn, 33, and her sister Lauren, 34. He allegedly did not train enough hours to fly alone and he regularly violated aviation regulations.

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.”

JFK Jr. (pictured checking his plane, October 1998) lost his bearings over the Atlantic Ocean due to poor visibility and was not properly trained when he made an emergency landing, an aviation expert said

New details about the fatal flight have been revealed in the new book JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biographywith perspectives from those involved in the infamous incident.

Kennedy’s plan was to fly to Martha’s Vineyard with his wife and sister-in-law on the day of the flight, July 16, 1999, to drop off Lauren, then fly on with Carolyn to Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.

He had planned to attend his cousin Rory Kennedy’s wedding with his wife that weekend, but Carolyn had to be begged to go because her marriage to the former president’s son was on the rocks.

According to DailyMail.com columnist Maureen Callaghan’s new book, Ask Not: The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed, Carolyn told friends and family she “didn’t trust” his flying skills.

In an attempt to create a strong marital image, she agreed to attend the wedding despite her reservations. This turned out to be a fatal mistake.

Carolyn, with actress Jennifer Aniston at an event in New York City, January 1990, reluctantly agreed to go on the fatal flight

JFK Jr. was one of the most famous men in America when he crashed

JFK Jr in the cockpit of his small plane with Carolyn

John had only recently flown the Piper Saratoga, a much more powerful and challenging jet aircraft than the Cessna he was used to flying.

He was still in the middle of his instrument training and was not yet allowed to fly solely based on cockpit controls in bad weather or poor visibility.

After taking off from Caldwell Airport in New Jersey, John followed the coastlines of Connecticut and Rhode Island until he reached the point where he was to turn toward Martha’s Vineyard. There he saw the empty sky over the Atlantic Ocean.

Guzzetti, who was an investigator on the crash for the NTSB and now owns Guzzetti Aviation Risk Discovery, told PEOPLE that the turn onto Martha’s Vineyard drastically changed Kennedy’s view.

“Once he was crossing the black ocean with three to five miles of visibility in the fog, it might as well have been instrument flight rules (IFR) — meaning you have to scan your instruments and know if your wings are level or if you’re climbing or descending,” Guzzetti said.

“He was trained to look outside to get his visual cues. There were no visual cues.”

July 17, 1999: A Coast Guard helicopter lifts a rescue swimmer from the water during the search for wreckage from JFK Jr.’s plane.

Wreckage of JFK Jr.’s plane being lifted from the water

Guzzetti said Kennedy’s final flight path indicated “spatial disorientation,” meaning he lost his orientation because he was relying solely on cockpit controls due to poor visibility.

“His flight path in the water is consistent with what is known as a graveyard spiral,” Guzzetti continued.

“The plane spiraled nose down… sort of like going down a drain. The plane entered a final turn and stayed in that turn all the way to the ocean.”

The aviation expert concluded that although the people on the plane would die within minutes, they were probably not aware of what was going to happen due to their disorientation.

“I don’t think the passengers knew what was happening to them,” Guzzetti said.

‘They might have felt a little bit of a G-force pushing them back into their seats. You might have heard the airflow over the hull speed up or get louder, during the final fatal dive… And then they hit the surface and it’s over.

“I expect the pilot would be very confused and perhaps a little scared, because the instruments may not have matched how he was feeling… The forces of the impact were enormous.”

He said the story of JFK Jr.’s death ultimately “serves as a warning to every private pilot to understand his own personal limitations.”