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The weather that night was marginal VFR--it was IFR conditions

Which was it? Marginal VFR? IFR? The visibility that night was 8 statute miles. Hardly Instrument Meterological Conditions.

And Martha's Vineyard was lit up like a christmas tree, according to witnesses.

JFK Jr had about 300 hrs total time. 40 in make and model. And that make and model (Piper Saratoga II) and it's fore-runners, the Piper Lance and Cherokee Six are among the most stable instrument platforms in single-engine aviation.

He had completed instrument training, and needed only a checkride to be certificated, i.e. Instrument rated.

No "black helicopters" here ;)

It was marginal VFR (ceiling and vis) that night according to other pilots who were with him when he filed the flight plan via telephone. My slip of the keyboard as saying it was IFR--I meant borderline IFR.

The Vinyard may have been "lite up like a Christmas tree" --but that matters little if the visibility is that low due to haze and other factors. I have landed at Frankfurt International when it was "lite up like a Christmas tree" and I barely made it in there with Cat II procedures.

The stability of Piper aircraft is not in question--but when you lost situational awareness and have spacial disorientation in an aircraft without relying on your instrument, you get the "graveyard spiral"--which most investigators believe happened.

Even 5000+ hour instrument pilots have mishaps. JFK didn't even have the rating.