7/16/1999 page 8

 7/16/1999 page 8 by ric gustafson

John navigated the Piper Saratoga over the Hudson River. Then toward Long Island Sound. The plane's cruising altitude was 5,600 feet. Suddenly, an air traffic controler noticed that John's plane was flying too close to an American Airlines passenger jet. John did not see the jet. Luckily, the pilot of the passenger jet changed his course to avoid a midair collision. John's plane headed east along the Connecticut shoreline.

It was at this time that the weather conditions people had been warning John about began to happen. It was now roughly 40 minutes after takeoff. A haze began. It was getting so bad John could not see anything. As the Piper Saratoga flew past Westerly Rhode Island, John could still not see anything. John did not know his new plane had autopilot.

Then John made a grave decision. He decided to fly straight ahead to Martha's Vineyard. This new route was now flying 35 miles over open water.

research help: ' The Day John Died' by Christopher Andersen

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric