Search for JFK Jr. captured in 'The Last Flight'

A new book, “The Last Flight: The Untold Story of the Search for JFK Jr.” (Harper Select), recounts the 1999 search for John F. Kennedy Jr. after the July 16 crash that killed JFK Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and her sister Lauren. Written by Coast Guard commander Captain W. Russell “Russ” Webster and maritime historian Theresa Mitchell Webster, it focuses on a five-day mission described as the nation’s largest search for private citizens in a small air crash—and among the most expensive. The authors detail how 32 local, state, and federal agencies coordinated changing protocols for a maritime tragedy, including confirmation delays and JFK Jr.’s multiple flights to Martha’s Vineyard. The NTSB findings cited spatial disorientation tied to earlier flight decisions.