The Lessons In My Son's Death [Media planes interfered with search for Kims]

The Washington Post ^ | January 6, 2007 | By Spencer H. Kim

[SteveH]

Good reaction, and I agree. However,

If I were on-scene commander I'd have briefed the media on the search plan, and assigned 'em a sector. They'd have loved that, eaten it up ("This is News Copter 7 reporting from the scene, where we're assisting in the search for the missing..."), and it would have gotten MORE eyes in the sky. Might have saved Kim's family sooner, even though he himself effectively committed suicide.

These folks are journalists, not trained search and rescue people. I am not sure they are adequately qualified to tie their own shoelaces, much less search for and rescue anyone in a tricky operation.

If it is true the media was effectively interfering, then the authorities in charge should have taken note of it and remedied the situation quickly. Apparently this did not happen, and mistakes were made...

[Criminal Number 18F]

Thanks for the comments.

Narby -- don't get me started on the Forest Service. They oscillate between safety-paranoid and wildly-reckless without ever settling on the middle ground where the rest of us operate. I think that Tony Kern was hired there and was trying to impose an Air Force (SAC, really) way of thinking on the stubborn culture, and when Tony left (didn't he?) that left the project incomplete and all a muddle. But I am not an insider over there.

About the Kim tragedy. It was a great error to have multiple aircraft responding to multiple search plans. Totally dumb to leave available assets on the ground, equally dumb to have assets in the area not on a single unified frequency. Nowadays the Guard seems to all speak VHF, even the fast movers; certainly the helicopters have this capability. (If not, USAF has a gadget that can retrans victor-to-uniform and vice-versa so that everybody is on the same virtual frequency).

I understand why some highly-structured and tightly-wrapped organisations don't like flying in uncontrolled airspace, though.

I was not aware that the family hired helicopters. Sounds like half the problem is irritation that he squandered his money.

As far as the screw-ups the searchers made -- geez. You have to expect, if you are lost, that those seeking you will be normal humans who make the usual quota of normal human errors. It's incumbent on you to keep yourself alive long enough for even an imperfect search to find you. Mr Kim failed that test, which is most unfortunate for himself, his wife and child, and all his friends, his fans, and his extended family.

But a suicide by whatever means is always a tragedy.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[Sensei Ern]

Hogwash. His staying at home or preparing better instead of listening to the nagging of family would have prevented him from making a bad decision to go into the heart of winter madness ill-prepared.

I call it the John Kennedy, Jr Syndrome. JKJS, for short.

I would recon that John Kennedy Senior might still be alive if Jacqueline hadn't been nagging John about the Dallas heat.

[poseiden]

You are Correct. BR> Kim Jr. is like every one else who travels. He doesn't have any right to expect rescue. It would have been nice if he had gotten rescued. But his demise is his own production. The problem is this guys Kim Sr. whining is going to close forest access roads, and deny the public from access to the wilderness. Its already so bad here in Oregon, that you have to be a logger or Federal hired biologist to access a lot of Oregon wilderness.
Oregon needs to open all its logging roads not close them.
I hope Mr. Kim Sr. Shuts the hell up.