Coast Guard Incident Commander for Operations and Historian Reveal the Untold Story of the JFK Jr. Search Mission in New Book, The Last Flight, Publishing October 13, 2026

This is the first full account of the federal government's largest search for private citizens in a small aircraft crash in U.S. waters in American history.

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Harper Select will publish The Last Flight: The Untold Story of the Search for JFK Jr. and the Race Against the Atlantic on October 13, 2026. Written by Captain W. Russell "Russ" Webster, the Coast Guard commander who led the search operation, and maritime historian Theresa Mitchell Webster, the book delivers the definitive account of the unprecedented multi-agency mission launched after John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and her sister Lauren Bessette vanished over the waters off Martha's Vineyard on the night of July 16, 1999.

For days, a nation watched and waited. Now, for the first time, the full story of what followed the crash is told by the man who directed the rescue mission.

The Last Flight takes readers inside the high stakes, emotionally charged operation to locate the missing aircraft and recover its passengers. Drawing on firsthand accounts, official reports, and newly uncovered insights, the book chronicles the extraordinary coordination among the U.S. Coast Guard, Navy, and NOAA in a race against time, technology, and the unforgiving Atlantic. It stands as the first comprehensive historical record of what became the largest and most expensive search ever conducted for private citizens in a small airplane in American waters.

"Every treatment of JFK Jr.'s life ends when his plane crashed off Martha's Vineyard the night of July 16, 1999, and this is where our book begins," said Captain Webster. "Rushed phone calls in the middle of the night. A missing plane. Shock and disbelief that this world-famous young man, his wife, and her sister could have perished. An unprecedented search launched before first light on Saturday, followed by a national wave of mourning and endless public curiosity. It's all covered in The Last Flight."

Beyond the operational record, the book documents the human cost of the mission, including exhausted rescuers, political pressure, and quiet acts of heroism from sonar operators, Navy divers, and commanders navigating impossible decisions under intense public scrutiny.

"The Last Flight is a work of contemporary maritime and aviation history. But it's also the story of how humans in public service rose to their highest levels of professional abilities and humane compassion to respectfully recover and lay to rest three people who perished in the prime of their lives, including a son of a beloved slain president," said Theresa Mitchell Webster.

Blending narrative history with investigative depth, The Last Flight also examines unanswered questions surrounding the crash, offering a compelling new perspective on one of America's most closely watched tragedies. It is at once a pulse-pounding operational account and a moving tribute to the men and women whose mission forever changed the Coast Guard and a nation still captivated by the legacy of the Kennedy family.

The Last Flight will be available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats. You can preorder today at: https://www.harpercollinsfocus.com/harper-select/books/last-flight.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Captain W. Russell “Russ” Webster served as incident commander for search operations in the JFK Jr. case. Webster served in the Coast Guard for twenty-six years (from 1977 to 2003), where he was engaged in or oversaw more than 10,000 search and rescue cases. He was his service’s chief of operations for the Northeast District and the 9/11 attacks and was part of a team that developed critical anti-terrorist doctrine for the Coast Guard. Later, Webster acted in senior positions within the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He was the FEMA Region 1 (Northeast) Administrator during the COVID-19 pandemic and was recognized by the Department of Homeland Security with the Secretary’s Outstanding Performance Award in 2021.

A graduate of the Coast Guard Academy and its 2017 Distinguished Alumni, Webster holds master’s degrees from the Naval War College and the Naval Postgraduate School. He continues to advise his former service on cutting-edge rescue insights related to watch standers’ decision-making and human behavior.

As an author, journalist, and historian, Theresa Mitchell Webster explores the intersection of history, science, and the environment. She’s been honored twice by the Coast Guard for her work in that service’s history. She holds graduate degrees from UMass Dartmouth, Yale University, and Eastern Washington University.

ABOUT HARPER SELECT:

Harper Select, based in Nashville, TN, publishes an exclusive number of hand-selected memoirs and narrative nonfiction each year. Recent NYT bestsellers include books from Joanna Gaines, Mark Harmon, Leon Carroll, Jr., and Loyola Chicago’s Sister Jean.