In the course of reviewing what I had read about JFK Jr., I wondered if his plane was sophisticated enough to even have a black box. Forgive my airplane ignorance, but I don't know at what level of aircraft you have one. All I know is that airliners always do, and they survive hellish crashes and ocean immersion.
So I searched on "JFK Jr crash" and "black box." One of the articles that came up was from the NY Post (note: Not the NYT or the NY Daily News), and it painted JFK Jr. as flying beyond his competence, possibly under stress and medication. Again (since this seems to be such a touchy topic here), I'm providing it as info to the gang for review. It seems convincing, but let's hear what you guys think:
Good VFR numbers, still didn't have his instrument card despite the fact that it wasn't a case of $$, appears to me he wasn't as serious about flying as he should have been. All the good times even during your last flight don't mean jack when you screw up something that is terminal that you likely wouldn't have with the right discipline. Flight from land to water to land to water is a recipe for vertigo. Vertigo progresses to stall and spin if not checked. Then you are dead, and you haven't even hit the water yet.