[buckalfa]

"Does that timeline seem a little off?"

Perhaps, but that area is sparsely populated, fairly rugged and it was night time. Also consider with low population, there is likely also to be sparse assets for search.

[alfa6]

Map of the area, google or Bing then expand to the north

State Hwy 810 S, Kuttawa, KY 42055

Looks to be mainly rural with about 50% or better wooded. If no fire then finding an aircraft in the dark, in the woods might take a while.

I do wonder about the ELT unit, should have pinpointed the sight. That assumes the ELT was working and assets were available.

Regards

alfa6 ;>}