As the latest tragedy to afflict the Kennedy family sinks in, many Americans are taking to the internet to sound off and seek answers.
Some interpretations are predictably outlandish.
But even the rather wistful postings about aliens have an element of self-parody about them. Apart from aliens, the US military and the scientific community are deemed the prime suspects. JFK Jr's crash occurred at a similar time in the evening and exactly three years after the explosion of TWA Flight 800 off the coast of Long Island, which killed 230 people. JFK Jr. But the conspiracy theorists may listen to fellow news group users. On the air disasters newsgroup , experienced pilots point out JFK Jr's inexperience.