The Last Flight: The Untold Story of the Search for JFK Jr. and the Race Against the Atlantic
About this audiobook
Read by the authors and Will Damron.
"A technically rich, warmly patriotic account.” - Kirkus Reviews
One of Town & Country’s Best Books of the Fall
On a hazy July night in 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn, and her sister Lauren vanished over the waters off Martha’s Vineyard—triggering a national vigil and one of the most ambitious search operations in American history. For days, the world watched and waited.
But the full story of what happened after the crash has never been told—until now.
In The Last Flight, Captain W. Russell “Russ” Webster, the Coast Guard commander who led the search, and historian Theresa Mitchell Webster, take readers inside the high-stakes, emotionally charged mission to locate the missing aircraft and recover its passengers. Drawing on firsthand accounts, official reports, and newly uncovered insights, this gripping narrative reveals the unprecedented coordination between the Coast Guard, Navy, and NOAA in a race against time, technology, and the unforgiving sea.
Beyond the headlines lies a powerful human story—of exhausted rescuers, clashing agencies, political pressure, and quiet acts of heroism. From sonar operators and Navy divers to commanders navigating impossible decisions, each played a role in what became the largest and most expensive search ever for private citizens in a small airplane.
Blending narrative history with investigative depth, The Last Flight also explores unanswered questions surrounding the crash, offering a compelling new perspective on one of America’s most haunting tragedies.
At once a pulse-pounding account and a deeply moving tribute, this is the definitive story of the mission that forever changed the Coast Guard—and a nation still captivated by the legacy of the Kennedy family.
Reference material can be found in the audiobook companion PDF download.
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About the author
Captain W. “Russ” Webster retired from federal service in 2023 following a forty-six-year career with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Transportation Security Administration, and the United States Coast Guard. He served in the Coast Guard for twenty-six years, where he was engaged in or oversaw more than ten thousand search and rescue cases. During his tenure at the Transportation Security Administration, Webster helped inaugurate the behavioral detection (antiterrorist) program for passenger screening and the use of TSA screeners at other transportation venues. As FEMA’s New England’s Region 1 Administrator, Captain Webster co-led the federal government’s Northeast COVID operations at the start of the pandemic. Upon his retirement from FEMA, Captain Webster was recognized by the Department of Homeland Security with the Secretary’s Outstanding Performance Award. Captain Webster is a graduate of the Coast Guard Academy, where he was honored as the 2017 Distinguished Alumni. He holds master’s degrees from the Naval War College and the Naval Postgraduate School. To learn more, visit wrussellwebster.com.
Theresa Mitchell Webster is a historian, an award-winning journalist, and a former history newsmagazine editor. She is the author of eight books focused on the intersection between maritime and cultural history, science, and the natural world. Theresa holds graduate degrees from University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Yale University, and Eastern Washington University. Visit Theresa’s website at theresawebster.com
