Steve Fossett missing
 

I know this isn't technically the right forum for this post, but it seemed to be most fitting none the less.

Steve Fossett, the first man to travel around the globe solo in a hot air balloon, and the first man to fly around the world non stop in an airplane, went missing yesterday. Ironically, it was during a very pedestrian flight in his single engine plane, scouting locations for a planned attempt to break the land speed record. He had not filed a flight plan, so the search for him is not going well.

In an age where any one of us can book a flight with relative ease that can take us half way around the world, Fossett hasn't enjoyed quite the level of public amazement that the likes of Lindbergh or Earhart did. But I've always followed his adventures. I like to imagine that were I filthy stinking rich as he and his benefactors (such as Richard Branson) are, I'd do the things he's done, or something similar. I've always wished that I could have been witness to the excitement that the early days of aviation brought, and Fossett's and Branson's endeavors have been the closest to that in modern times.

He's a resourceful guy for sure, I wouldn't count him out yet with only a day of searching. But if he is not found alive, it will be a shame.

:(

He is truly a modern day adventurer. He also set records with his 125 foot catamaran "Cheyenne". As a glider pilot, he will have more experience than most in a dead stick landing if he had engine trouble. He is familiar with the area, so I hope he landed safely, and is found soon.

This post and GD's feelings and obeservations I totally agree with! He is the last of the great adventurers that continue to push the envelope, so to speak.
I too hope he is just stuck somewhere safe and he is found.

This is unfortunate news. I have had the pleasure of meeting him twice. He is from Garden Grove and his parents were clients of my travel agency for years. I will hold out hope that he is found.

Yes, this is sad. He also graduated from Garden Grove High School, where my wife worked for twelve years, and where my daughter attended. He is a home town hero, I pray he is okay.

Over at the Steve Fossett website, I learned that they are using volunteers on the internet to search satellite images. If you are interested, here's the link

Does anybody remember if a similar tactic produced anything productive on that missing sailor north of SF last year?

You are thinking of Jim Gray. He was never found.

'The 'Amazon Mechanical Turk' is an rather interesting concept. Never seen that before.

Almost exactly a year later and a hiker near Mammoth seems to have found some of Fossett's personal items!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26976119/

$100 bills, that's so TOTALLY something he would carry! Not so sure about the measly fin, though.

WTF?

The article I read said "Near Minaret Lake" which fit nicely with my guess that he ditched in a lake and sank. The article you linked to said the stuff was found "at an abandoned mine near Minaret Lake". What? He crashed into a mine shaft? Something smells fishy here....

Oh and you got to admire the hiker. I think I might have found an identification card with Fossett's name on it, two laminated cards, a $5 bill and pieces of clothing.

They've found the wreckage.

And the stuff was found "Near the mine" not in/at it.

I wonder if the body will be found with the plane or not.

I'm hoping they can figure out what went wrong. At least they finally found the plane, I wish it could have been last year though.

The plane crashed

Sounds like he bailed out before he crashed.

The government gave him $700 million?!?















Okay... that was in really poor taste!

But it had to be said nonetheless.


We are each a product of our times.

Billion. Just to split hairs.

I hope he wasn't wandering around injured attempting to find a way out or be rescued. I think that would be much sadder than instant death. :(

I dunno. I kinda hope he's found along with a diary of his final days. That seems fittingly storybook (in a Brother's Grimm sort of way) for such a great adventurer.

If I was a betting man, I'd go with instant death right about the time his plane plowed into the mountain. The lack of remains at the crash site I'd attribute to time and our furry friends of the forest.

It's not splitting hairs: for as often as I do it, I deserve to have my errors pointed out!

I question that hypothesis since there were no bones found at the site. If he had been in the plane, he would have been too integrated with the wreckage to have his body carried away intact - the edible parts would have been consumed on the spot and there would be bones still there. That they didn't find bones leads me to believe that he did survive the impact or at least ejected from the plane before impact.

Has there been any word if he would have had a parachute on? I know some pilots do wear them.

No parachute. Highly unlikely that he bailed out.

At least he died doing something he loved. If only we all could be so lucky. I'd much rather that happen than become laid up in a hospital for my final days.

CNN is reporting that a "small amount" of human remains were found in the wreckage.

Looks like he didn't get out.

Or at least not all of him got out.












Ew ew ew ew

Pretty big wreckage area:

http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=5935776

Looks like DNA of the remains confirm it was him. It will be many months or more before they figure out what happened. The plane hit hard at a fairly shallow angle, not like the plane dropped out of the air. Sounds like he could have been disorented, out cold, or in bad visibility conditions and hit the mountain. The impact was so hard it practicaly vaporised the plane.

Such a sad loss. RIP, Steve. May God bless you and your family.