>> just about the time we were about to call off the search, the air national search spotted wreckage on the ground. >> reporter: it is fossett's plane, right along the original radar track, the very spot in play before authorities shifted their attention to the desert based on a so-called hot tip from a ranch hand. >> they probably could have found him relatively quickly if they had followed up on the evidence they had very early on in the search. >> reporter: instead of the plane being located in just days the search lasted over a year. and cost millions. randi kaye, cnn, new york. could there be a lesson here? up next, more breaking news, the death toll rises in the south korean ferry disaster. and they're using an unusual looking vehicle to search for passengers. we're live in south korea with the latest on the investigation.