The pilot's flight plan is useless to the searchers in "Hatchet" because the plane crashed off-course, so the searchers are looking in the wrong area based on the planned route. The protagonist, Brian, knows the plane veered off-course before the crash, but this information is not known to the searchers initially.
Brian plans to use the hatchet to create a signal fire by combining branches and dry grass as easily ignitable material which will create thick smoke when lit. The aim is for the smoke to be noticed by the searchers flying overhead and signal them to his location for rescue.
The Searchers
Hatchet
a hatchet! hence the name
The Searchers - band - was created in 1959.
The Heart of the Ocean (haven't you seen the movie?)
'Searchers' is a noun. It refers to people who are looking for something.
Hatchet
hatchet
hatchet
Meet The Searchers was created in 1963-08.