JFK JR.'S DEADLY DIVE; RADAR DATA SHOW PLANE'S OUT-OF-CONTROL PLUNGE.

Byline: Mike Allen and Carey Goldberg The New York Times

The last flight of John F. Kennedy Jr. ended in a terrifying, out-of-control plunge at 10 times the normal rate for a descent, according to radar data released Monday, offering a possible explanation for searchers' failure to recover remains or significant pieces of wreckage from the Friday night crash off Martha's Vineyard.

With the nation waiting and a thunderstorm threatening, Massachusetts State Police divers began fishing through choppy, murky waters off Martha's Vineyard for the first time since the crash but came up with nothing, according to the authorities. One object that sonar maps showed could be a big hunk of airplane turned out to be a 14-foot boulder.

In a statement late Monday, Kennedy's uncle, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., solemnly acknowledged what the Coast Guard had determined Sunday night - that the crash had apparently killed Kennedy, who was 38, and his two passengers: his wife of nearly three years, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, 33, and his sister-in-law Lauren Bessette, 34.

``John was a shining light in all our lives, and in the lives of the nation and the world that first came to know him when he was a little boy,'' Kennedy said. ``We pray that John, Carolyn and Lauren will find eternal rest, and that God's perpetual light will shine on them.''

The senator had become personally involved in the search as early as 7 a.m. Saturday, when he called Gov. John Rowland of Connecticut to ask for help searching the Long Island Sound area. Rowland immediately dispatched National Guard helicopters to help with the search, which gripped the nation as it played out on live television all weekend.

At a news conference Monday evening at Otis Air National Guard Base here, investigators said that as Kennedy headed east toward Martha's Vineyard, where he was trying to land before hopping over to Hyannis Port for a family wedding, his single-engine, six-seat Piper Saratoga II HP fell 1,100 feet in the final 14 seconds recorded on radar, ending at 9:40 p.m., one hour after he left Fairfield, N.J.

Richard Pearce of the National Transportation Safety Board, who is leading the investigation, refused to characterize the drop beyond pointing out that it was about 4,700 feet per minute. Aviation authorities said a typical descent would be 400 to 500 feet per minute. Put another way, they said, Kennedy was going 50 mph straight down, possibly in a dive. Investigators and pilots said it was still too early to say why the plane would descend at that rate, but that it showed a severe problem such as pilot incapacitation or equipment failure.

``That would indicate the airplane is out of control,'' said Rudy Kapustin, who worked as an accident investigator at the NTSB for 24 years, ending in 1986.

Kapustin said the pilot might have begun a normal turn but lost sight of the horizon, then made the turn too tight, banking the plane too far over and losing lift. ``That rate of descent is extremely high, and there is no good reason, no operational reason, why he would intentionally enter into that kind of rate of descent,'' he said.

Flag at half-staff

At the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, the tall American flag, last lowered when Michael Kennedy died in a skiing accident a year and a half ago, was not lowered to half-staff until dusk, a confirmation by the family of the fate of JFK Jr., 38, his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, 33, and her sister, Lauren Bessette, 34.

Only one major movement could be observed: the exodus of trucks carrying equipment - a generator, planks for a dance floor, tent poles - that had been rented for the wedding of Rory Kennedy, a cousin of John F. Kennedy Jr. The wedding had been scheduled for Saturday and now has been postponed.

Ethel and Max Kennedy could be seen out on the water for a short sail. The family received communion in the morning from a priest in white vestments. But otherwise, little movement was visible behind the white picket fence of Marchant Avenue.

Many Americans remained stunned by the demise of the man they had watched grow from ``John-John'' to ``the Hunk'' to the publisher of a glitzy political magazine, George. As an indication of the interest in the case, CNN and MSNBC broke away from a news conference by President Clinton to cover a statement by the family of Carolyn Kennedy Bessette, issued at their home in Greenwich, Conn.

At the news conference on Cape Cod, the authorities said no one has reported seeing the plane crash. In a potential break for investigators, Pearce said preliminary information from the plane's previous owner is ``that there is a device that records possibly the last transmission through the radio, which would be to air-traffic control, over the transmitter.''

``We do not know how this particular device works as yet, and we are trying to determine if it was operational,'' Pearce added.

A salvage ship and a submersible camera, both from the Navy, arrived Monday to help with the search over 24 square miles off Gay Head, the western tip of Martha's Vineyard. But the going has been slow, and divers returned to shore before dark, as rain rolled in. Pearce said searchers had recovered ``numerous small pieces of the airplane, primarily interior cabin molding, some of the rugs, some of the cushions, a rudder pedal,'' plus ``the right main landing

gear, which included the wheel and the brake assembly but not the strut that would extend up above it.''

``There has been no other exterior sheet metal of the airplane recovered,'' he added. The largest piece found so far, he said, was a rug that is about two feet square.

The state police divers from the Underwater Recovery Unit worked from sonar maps that have been color-coded to show objects with 90-degree angles, indicating possible manmade objects.

More target areas

The divers, who are working in seas that are about 80 feet deep, have nine more promising spots, which they call ``targets of opportunity,'' that investigators have identified on sonar maps. Debris is being taken to a hangar here, where NTSB investigators are poring over refueling and maintenance records for Kennedy's plane.

Investigators said they also are interviewing people who saw the plane depart New Jersey, and pilots and flight instructors who flew with Kennedy and might be able to provide background information.

Kennedy had suffered a sports injury shortly before his death. The Toronto Star reported Monday that Keith Stein, vice president for corporate affairs of Magna International Inc., an auto parts company in Aurora, Ontario, said that when Kennedy flew in July 12 to discuss investment in George magazine, he brought along a flight instructor.

``John indicated he wasn't comfortable flying by himself with a broken foot,'' The Star quoted Stein as saying. ``He mentioned something about needing help with the pedals.''

Rear Adm. Richard Larrabee of the Coast Guard, who had maintained publicly that searchers were looking for survivors long past the time experts expected they could have lived in the chilly ocean, showed a similar optimism Monday about the search, pointing to the sophisticated equipment that had arrived Monday.

A Coast Guard spokesman, Cmdr. Mike Lapinski, said he had received several news media inquiries about the size of the search. He said it was on the same scale as many others the Coast Guard performs each year that receive little public notice, and added that it was ``necessary and appropriate given the uncertainty and the size of the search area.''

In its statement, the Bessette family said: ``John and Carolyn were true soulmates, and we hope to honor them in death in the simple manner in which they chose to live their lives. We take solace in the thought that together they comfort Lauren for eternity.''

At his news conference, President Clinton said he believed the search should continue. ``John Kennedy and his sister and later his wife were uncommonly kind to my daughter and my wife,'' he said. ``This has been a very difficult thing for us personally, as well as because of my position. They are very strong people, and I think they're carrying on as well as any human beings could, but they need the support and prayers of our country.''

KENNEDY FAMILY STATEMENT

Text of a statement released Monday night by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., from Hyannis Port, Mass.:

We are filled with unspeakable grief and sadness by the loss of John and Carolyn, and of Lauren Bessette. John was a shining light in all our lives, and in the lives of the nation and the world that first came to know him as a little boy.

He was a devoted husband to Carolyn, a loving brother to Caroline, an amazing uncle to her children, a close and dear friend to his cousins, and a beloved nephew to my sisters and me. He was the adored son of two proud parents whom he now joins with God. We loved him deeply, and his loss leaves an enormous void in all our lives.

John had many gifts and gave us great joy, most especially when he brought his wonderful bride Carolyn into our lives. They had their own special brand of magic that touched everyone who knew and loved them. We are thankful for her life and for their lives together.

We loved Carolyn and share in the grief of the Bessette and Freeman families at the tragic loss of both Carolyn and Lauren. Carolyn and Lauren were exceptional and accomplished young women who reflected the extraordinary qualities of their family. The Bessette and Freeman families will always be in our thoughts and prayers.

At this most difficult time, we rely on our faith in God. We are more grateful than we can ever say for the support of our family, our friends, and so many of our fellow Americans who opened their hearts to John.

We also thank in a very special way the men and women who have worked so well and long and hard in these past days to find John, Carolyn and Lauren. We will never forget the dedication, the professionalism and the sensitivity they have shown.

We pray that John, Carolyn and Lauren will find eternal rest, and that God's perpetual light will shine on them.

- Associated Press

BESSETTE FAMILY STATEMENT

Statement issued Monday by the parents of Lauren Bessette and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, read by family friend Grant Stinchfield:

Dr. and Mrs. Richard Freeman and William J. Bessette would like to thank the many individuals and governmental agencies that have assisted in the exhaustive search for their beloved family members.

Each of these three young people - Lauren Bessette, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr. - was the embodiment of love, accomplishment and passion for life.

John and Carolyn were true soul mates and we hope to honor them in death in the simple manner in which they chose to live their lives. We take solace in the thought that together they will comfort Lauren for eternity. We are especially appreciative of the privacy and support provided us by our friends and family and community. Nothing in life is preparation for the loss of a child.

- Associated Press

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, 2 Boxes

PHOTO (1--Color) The American flag is shown flying at half-staff in front of a house at the Kennedy compound Monday.

Chris Gardner/Associated Press

(2--Color) KENNEDY

BOX: (1) KENNEDY FAMILY STATEMENT (see text)

(2) BESSETTE FAMILY STATEMENT (see text)