Boquete 2007
Sam Taliaferro
The Baru volcano dominates life in the Chiriqui Province of Panama. With thick rain forests from its base to its summit, Baru is the tallest peak in the country, rising to 11,332 feet. The area of the Baru National Forest covers over 30,000 acres and is so massive that micro climates abound and rainfall is in some areas is either constant or nearly non-existent. My family and I live in one of its smaller canyons near the mountain town of Boquete. I had built a popular residential resort community in this valley called Valle Escondido, or Hidden Valley.
Christmas was just a few days away and many people had already left the heat of Panama City to enjoy the Chiriqui Highlands cool mountain air and beautiful scenery. After 4 months of slow season, our hotel was full of guests and our staff was adapting to the busiest time of year. We were near the end of our rainy season and although there is little change in temperature from the mean of 72 degrees Fahrenheit, we transition from regular afternoon downpours to no rain for almost 5 months. During this transition, the winds pick up from the north and can sometimes blow at hurricane force for days.
Everyone was busy with last minute preparations for celebrations with family, employees and friends. My wife’s parents were visiting from the city and we decided to go out on a nearby lake and fish for the afternoon to escape the bustle. We were on the lake at about 5pm on the 23rd when I received a call alerting me to the disappearance of a Cessna 172 earlier that day. The plane carried four people who were flying in the area surrounding the Baru volcano. When I learned the names of the passengers, my heart sank and I knew that this unfolding tragedy would make international news.
Michael Klien is a resident of Santa Barbara California and is the owner of Isla Secas resort off the coast of Chiriqui. He was known as a wiz kid hedge fund manager who had graduated from college at 17. Within a few years Michael had turned a small company into a $450 million dollar sale to Yahoo. Klein, an experienced pilot, was accompanied by his 13-year old daughter Talia and her best friend, 12-year old Francesca Lewis (Frankie). Their planes pilot was 24-year-old Edwin Lasso. Edwin had over 500 hours of flight time in small planes and this flight began like many others. They left Isla Secas that morning for what was supposed to be about an hour flight to the small town of Volcan on the western slope of Volcan Baru. Instead of flying directly to their destination, they decided to sightsee around the Boquete area, which is on the eastern slope about 20 kilometers on the other side of the volcano. I distinctly remember how fierce the winds were that morning because the doors to our resort restaurant blew open at about 10am as we enjoyed a late breakfast before heading off to the lake.
My friends call was to inform me that he and the father of the pilot, Edwin Lasso, were to begin searching from the air and to ask if I could help with the ground search. We quickly headed home, making phone calls during the half hour ride back to Boquete. I was calling farm owners from Volcan to Boquete to see if any of them had seen or heard the plane. My wife Thalia called her cousin, head of Sinaproc (Systema National de Protection civil) in Panama City to see what resources were being made available to their ill-equipped office in Boquete. 5 search planes were scheduled to be sent at first light and other equipment would be forth-coming. 
As we pulled into town we received a call from the Sinaproc office in Boquete requesting help with vehicles, radios, binoculars and money for cell phone cards. We drove directly to the base, which is in the center of town and met with Lenin Cordoba, the head of Boquete Sinaproc. He gave us a quick update regarding where they were searching and we made calls to our resort administration to get the additional resources he needed. We’ve worked with Lenin for over a year in an attempt to get more resources for the Sinoproc office in Boquete. Currently, the office consists of a small room with a large wall map, small TV, a desk, refrigerator and a computer. Their only rescue vehicle sits outside the building with two flat tires and a broken engine. (See photos) Lenin is the only full time member of the organization, but he is dedicated and in command of 50 local volunteers. With news of the missing plane, they mobilized and headed out to follow up on every report they had received about the missing plane.
Boquete is a fast growing mountain town with many foreigners moving into this area. In just a few short years we have seen a number of adventure sport tourism operations open. They include white water rafting companies, rock climbing, a tree trek canopy tour, hiking, biking, four-wheeling and general adventure tour companies. The Sinoproc Boquete office is wholly unprepared for large emergencies, let alone a plane crash in the high mountain regions of this province. The lack of resources became obvious as we watched the volunteers prepare to go out into the jungle with little or no training, no radios, no first aid kits, no GPS, neither binoculars nor a compass. It was as if we 50 years behind modern civilization. Even with access to technology and equipment that would make the search productive and safe, we had nothing more than volunteers in rubber boots. But despite our handicaps, I was amazed to see that these volunteers were hastily embarking upon a search through the cold and blustery rain forest with little more than a cell phone and an orange Sinaproc t-shirt.
When we returned home that evening there was little more to do than pray for the lost and for the search parties who were scouring the mountain. The search covered an area of over 300 square kilometers of extremely rough terrain. Vast rain forests punctuated by deep canyons and hundreds of rivers did nothing but add to my worry over the fate of the four people who were lost in the high mountain jungles. The next day was Christmas Eve and most everyone was preparing for the holiday with last minute shopping and the gathering of families. The accident could not have happened in a more ill equipped place and at a more difficult time of year. 
Early the next morning my 18-year-old son Travis and I headed out on our four wheelers to search the southern base of the volcano where several eyewitnesses had seen the plane falter in the high winds. It was still cloudy and the winds were whipping down from the north. We began our search by driving the old dirt roads as far up the volcano as possible, stopping at each farm to ask if they had seen or heard anything of the small plane. I left Travis to watch over the machines as I began to hike up the gradual sloping face of the. (See photos) I wanted to get to a high pasture in hopes that the pilot might have attempted a landing on the slopes of this great volcano. It took about two hours before I found a Noble Bugle Indian family who watched over a dozen cows on the high mountain pasture. They had heard and seen nothing. It was getting late and the weather had turned for the worse so I headed back down the mountain. We rode back in rain and heavy winds and found a crowd of people at the base. 
The families of the lost had arrived. Since I was the only gringo in the crowd, they came to me for information and support. I was amazed at how calm they were despite not knowing whether their children were dead or alive. As darkness fell, it became clear that a second night would pass before we could get on with our search. The base was getting more reports of sightings of the plane from areas as far away as 20 kilometers to the south. Rather than becoming smaller and more focused, the search area was growing. Soon the base was bustling with about 20 tired volunteers who had returned empty handed from the northern trails.
After hearing all of the reports, the family asked Lenin Cordoba, the Sinaproc chief, to focus on the southern face of the volcano where eyewitnesses had reported seeing the plane in trouble. We all agreed that it was very unlikely for the pilot to attempt going around the north side of the volcano, especially if he was experiencing trouble as he passed over the south. Lenin contacted the other search parties and advised them to discontinue searching the north and head to the south.
It was Christmas Eve and everyone had family waiting for them to come home. My 6-year-old son was celebrating both Christmas and his birthday and our family Christmas Eve dinner was waiting. I asked the Lewis and Klein families if they had a place to stay and offered them lodging at our resort. They readily accepted and we headed over to the hotel only 5 minutes away. As I dropped them at the front desk we all hugged one another and shared words of encouragement. I assured them that at first light we would be out searching with more aircraft and people.
It was a difficult evening for me, knowing the chances for survival diminished as each hour passed. I kept hoping they went down in a high pasture, but surely we would have seen or heard something by now. The timing of the crash could not have been worse because so many of the Indians who tended the cattle had come down from the mountains for the Christmas festivities. Finding anyone that might have seen or heard the plane was very difficult. It was becoming more obvious that the plane went down in a dense jungle area far away from any farms or pastures. Over the years I have hiked through only small portions of this rain forest and I felt like we were looking for a needle in a haystack. The jungle can just swallow a small plane, never to be seen again.
Meeting the families of the missing was extremely painful. They were distraught yet hopeful and thankful to all who were giving of their time to help find their lost loved ones. No matter what came of it, I was compelled to stay with them throughout this ordeal.
At first light Christmas morning I was awakened by our 7-year-old who was anxious to get to the pile of presents waiting for him under the tree. As usual we all got up and headed out to the living room. As I looked out the window, my heart sank to see low clouds, rain, and heavy winds. I knew that we would not be able to get planes in the air. As time was running short, we prayed that the weather would clear up quickly.
The plane was lost now for almost 48 hours. I began to give up hope and to accept that we would not find the plane in time to rescue anyone, if indeed any were still alive. All I could do was to pray, which I did frequently and fervently. Just as I was feeling such deep despair, my wife ran in to my office to tell me that the plane had been found and there was a survivor. Two brothers, Miguel and Manuel Burac, had found the plane on the north side of the volcano in Alto Quiel. One young girl was alive. I grabbed my jacket and raced over to the Sinaproc base. As I was pulling up, trucks filled with searchers were racing out. The families were there and they were crying. The news had that one of the young girls was alive, but no one knew which one. I tried to comfort them by telling them that nothing was known for sure and we should maintain hope for all of them. Kirk Lewis, (the father of Frankie), his brother Peter and Jim Matlock (the uncle of the Talia Klein), had headed out with Sinoproc a few minutes earlier. I drove up with Linda Matlock, Kim Klien (Talia’s mother), Valerie Lewis (Frankie's mother) and her older daughter Rose. By the time we arrived at the ranger station it was locked up and no one was in sight. We soon discovered it would be at least three hours before the search party could reach the crash site and at least 4-6 hours more before they could get back down with the girl. The ladies decided to head back to the hotel and wait for further word.
As we drove back to I listened to the mothers of the two lost girls give each other hope and encouragement. They speculated that the found girl was probably in shock and would not be able to communicate. When we got to the hotel we hugged and cried. I went home to see that CNN and FOX were reporting that one girl was found alive and the others had perished. How could they be so sure, and how could they know so fast? It was on all the major news channels and I was sure that the mothers were seeing it in their hotel rooms, too. 
Soon after, I received a call stating that Francesca Lewis (Frankie) had survived but would not be brought down that night because of horrible weather. The men had returned to the hotel not having reached the crash site. It was too dark and they did not have the proper clothing or equipment for a trek into the jungle. Frankie would have to spend one more horrible night in the high mountain jungle before she could be brought down. At least she was not alone. The men who found her, Miguel Burac, Alfonso Burke and Juan Santos were at her side. (See photos of rescue)
As I lay in bed that night I was both sorrowful and relieved. One of the mothers was now enduring the painful loss of her dear young child. Two fathers were grieving the loss of their sons. But one young girl had miraculously survived a crash and over two days alone in the jungle. Indeed, this was a miracle. Frankie was finally brought down by helicopter the afternoon of December 26th. She was taken to the hospital in David, just 20 minutes away by air. After 72 hours in the jungle, she was reunited with her parents. She was bruised and shaken, but not a bone was broken.
On December 27th, my wife and I visited the hospital and found Kirk, his wife Valerie and Kirk’s brother Peter in the hallway outside Frankie’s room. They insisted that we look in on Frankie and it was an emotional moment to see the child we had been praying for and found. Her face was puffed and bruised, but she was eating and gave us a faint smile. Her sister Rose lay sleeping on the couch next to her, emotionally exhausted. We all began to cry with joy. Kirk, Valerie and Peter said they wanted to go to the crash site in a few days in order to see for themselves what she had endured. They asked if I would accompany them and help make arrangements for the trip.
That evening, Lenin Cordoba came to my house with two men. One was a pastor who, along with Lenin and a half dozen others, made it up to the crash sight Christmas night. The other man was Alfonso Burke, who was with Miguel Burac when Frankie was found on Christmas day. They brought photos of the rescue and began to tell us the story of how she was found.
Alfonso began by telling us that no one had seen or heard the plane crash. They searched all day with Miguel’s brother Manuel and a friend Itsel Velasquez. They spent Christmas Eve in Juan Santos cabin. Juan Santos, a Noble Bugle Indian, tended cattle on the Uriolla farm at about 7500 feet above sea level in Alto Kiel. The next morning they decided to split up and Itsel and Manuel went north and Miguel, Alfonso and their guide, Juan Santos headed west from the small cabin.
As they climbed to a ridge near one of the highest pastures, the saw something on a distant hill and went to investigate. It would take them about two hours to walk to the next ridge and when they arrived they found nothing but trees blowing in the high winds. Miguel then looked out at another distant hill saw something blowing in the wind. There were no trails through the thick rain forest and it took them another hour and a half to get to that next ridge. Amazingly, they began to see glass and debris scattered on the forest floor. Miguel and Alfonso were at first elated at having found the plane, but they soon became distraught when they saw the fuselage of the plane lying against a tree on a steep hillside and the full wing of the plane 100 feet in the trees. The engine lay at the base of the tree it had impacted. Alfonso said to himself, that no one could have survived. Then they heard a small voice cry out from the wreckage, “help me, help me”. 
Alfonso said his heart nearly jumped from his chest. They ran over to find a young girl buried beneath luggage, pinned to the ground on her side, and still in the fuselage. Alfonso lay on our living room floor showing us the position the young girl was in for those two horrendous days. It was a blessing that she could not move as the seat and luggage protected her from the elements and freezing cold. If she had gotten out of the fuselage, she may have tried to find her way out and probably would have been lost to the jungle.
They showed us the photos of the crash site and the rescuers bringing Frankie down in a stretcher. They had to hack their way through the jungle, creating a path wide enough for two men and the stretcher to pass. This took about 8 hours. (See photos of rescue)
I asked the men if they would accompany the parents and me back to the crash. They all eagerly agreed. Two days later Jim Matlock, Peter Lewis, Kirk Lewis, my middle son Remington and I, along with about 20 other rescuers, headed back to the crash site. It was a blustery windy and wet day, similar to the one Frankie had endured for over 52 hours. It was an arduous hike through ankle deep mud and it took about 4 hours to reach the crash sight. Fortunately we had Juan Santos cabin for rest, both ascending and descending. (See photos of hike to crash site)
Frankie was released from the hospital, in time to celebrate the New Year with all of us in Valle Escondido. On the first of January we held an honorary dinner for the rescue party, which was attended by over 100 volunteers involved in the rescue. Lenin Cordoba said it best when he told the group that “Frankie was reborn here in Boquete and she would always be a child of this small town.” There was not a dry eye in the place. See all the photos of the event here. (Photos of rescuers dinner)
On the 3rd of January I took the Lewis family fishing on the very lake where I first heard about the tragedy. It was appropriate that Frankie was the only one to catch a fish that day. I remember her father leaning over to me a saying, “what a difference a week makes.” How true!
The Lewis family left Boquete on January 4th to return to Santa Barbara. Kirk said he was apprehensive about going back to a sound bite world that was so eager to hear all about Frankie’s experience. Back home reporters were hounding their families and they knew that their lives would never be the same.
In a few weeks they are to appear on Good Morning America and then a 20/20 show, which should air shortly after. The ABC film crew spent the last four days with us here in Valle Escondido recording the wonderful healing power that the special people of Boquete have had on this family and the incredible love born from this tragedy-turned-miracle on Christmas Day 2007.
Our prayers and sincere sympathy go out to the family and friends of the Klein’s and Lasso’s. I know in this time of grief they are happy for the Lewis family, but nothing can replace the ones they so dearly love.
God bless them all.
If you would like to make a donation to the Boquete search and rescue fund please click here. You can help us to secure adequate equipment so we are better prepared for the next emergency.
Recent Comments