Pilots, boat captains should carry radio beacons

In the aftermath of the Coast Guard and the Maui Fire Department suspending rescue efforts, family and friends are continuing to search for three young people who were in a small plane that disappeared from radar Friday night, apparently descending into waters northwest of Molokai.

The incident serves as a heartbreaking reminder that aircraft pilots and boat captains should carry an Emergency Positioning Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), which transmits on distress frequency. The hand-held device serves as an optional backup to required emergency locator transmitting gear. In March, for example, a Navy helicopter rescued three fishermen who had abandoned ship some 160 miles southwest of Kona after they bailed into a lifeboat with an EPIRB.

A close call at volcano should be a warning

The problem with places endowed with wild, natural beauty is that nature is wild — and not always in a safe, predictable way. This is an issue with pounding surf and volcanic eruptions, in which very real hazards threatens lives. Such was the case for visitors recently who ventured into a closed-off area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and narrowly escaped. The former viewing area had been determined as near collapse on Saturday — and collapsing is exactly what it ultimately did, 15 minutes after the tourists had been swept back behind the line. Future hikers should be scared straight — for a while, anyway.