It hardly seems that long.
And you still have to wonder what might have been.
ACCIDENT DETAILS
Date: July 16, 1999
Time: 21:41
Location: Off Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts
Operator: Private
Flight #: -
Route: Fairfield, N.J. - Martha's Vineyard, MA
AC Type: Piper PA-32-R301 Saratoga II HP
Registration: N9253N
cn / ln: 3213100
Aboard: 3 (passengers:2 crew:1)
Fatalities: 3 (passengers:2 crew:1)
Ground: 0
Summary: The aircraft, piloted by John F. Kennedy Jr., 38, crashed into the sea approximately 34 miles west of Martha's Vineyard while en route from Fairfield, New Jersey to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Killed along with Kennedy were his wife Carolyn and her sister Lauren Bessette. Kennedy's failure to maintain control of the airplane during a descent over water at night, which was a result of spatial disorientation. Contributing factors in the accident were haze, and the dark night.
http://www.planecrashinfo.com/1999/1999-36.htm