When you have an unsuccessful SAR episode, the best and most productive path is a clear and dispassionate analysis, followed by corrections and changes. The details and information necessary for this exercise are rarely, if ever, reported in the media. One can only hope that such an examination is underway and that future incidents will benefit from the insights gained.

My first SAR experience was basically a complete disaster. We all learned from that and got better (much, much better as a matter of fact). Eventually we critiqued each and every operation, successful or not. Sometimes you are just lucky and happy endings are not guaranteed.