The finale of the FX series shows John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette, and Lauren Bessette moments before the crash.

How Love Story depicts the fatal 1999 plane crash

The finale of the FX series shows John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette, and Lauren Bessette moments before the crash.

By Tiffany Kelly

Tiffany Kelly

Tiffany Kelly is a staff editor at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Wired, GQ, and Ars Technica.

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March 26, 2026 11:55 p.m. ET

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Paul Anthony Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon in 'Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette' episode 9. Credit:

**This article contains spoilers for the *Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette * finale, "Search and Recovery."**

FX's *Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette** *concluded with a somber finale that depicts the fatal 1999 plane crash.

The drama series, which became a hit for the network after premiering on Feb. 12, tells the story of how John F. Kennedy Jr. (Paul Anthony Kelly) and Carolyn Bessette (Sarah Pidgeon) met and fell in love in the ‘90s. But although early episodes were full of romance, great fashion, and a nostalgic soundtrack, viewers knew how the couple’s story would end.

The real-life John and Carolyn died in a plane crash on the evening of July 16, 1999, along with Carolyn’s sister, Lauren Bessette. John was the pilot, flying a small single-engine plane from New Jersey to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.

Episode 9 of *Love Story*, “Search and Recovery,” shows the moments leading up to that devastating crash.

Read on to find out more about what happens in the finale.

Sydney Lemmon as Lauren and Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn in 'Love Story' episode 9.

Eric Liebowitz/FX

**The plane crash **

We knew it was coming, but it still hurt to watch. About halfway through the finale, John, Carolyn, and Lauren (Sydney Lemmon) are shown on the plane right before the crash. Carolyn moves from her seat in the back to join John up front.

John begins his descent to land at Martha’s Vineyard before nervously glancing at his instruments, as the haze outside makes it hard to see the island. Carolyn asks him if everything is okay, and he tells her yes.

“Just breathe,” she says calmly, as John appears to grow more anxious.

The scene ends with poignant close-up shots of the three of them as instrumental music plays in the background before it cuts to black.

Viewers do not see or hear the crash. **

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The missing plane

**The U.S. Coast Guard is notified about a no-show plane in the next scene. In real life, the Kennedy family reported the missing plane to the Coast Guard early on July 17.

On the show, John’s sister, Caroline Kennedy (Grace Gummer), is the first person we see being informed about the missing plane.

President Bill Clinton called the Kennedy family after news broke about the missing plane. On the show, we see the family accepting a phone call from the “president,” but he is never named.****

Grace Gummer as Caroline Kennedy in 'Love Story' episode 9.

The family’s reaction

The rest of the *Love Story* finale focuses on the grieving family members, namely Caroline and Ann Messina Freeman (Constance Zimmer), the mother of Carolyn and Lauren.

Family and loved ones gather at a memorial service at the end, and they are shown scattering the ashes of John, Carolyn, and Lauren from a Navy ship into the ocean.

We see one last sweet memory of John and Carolyn together, looking out at the water.

The* Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette *finale streams on Hulu/Disney+ on Friday, March 27.

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Drama”