Lengendary Aviator Steve Fossett’s Plane Found, But Where’s Steve Fossett?

Steven Fossett’s plane has finally been discovered. News came out yesterday that a local ski guide had discovered some papers belonging to the legendary adventurer, while he was out hiking a trail above Mammoth Lakes, California.  These papers, which included an FAA plane license from the state of Illinois, would become instrumental in helping authorities locate the wreckage of Mr. Fossett’s plane.

This morning, the Associated Press began running a news item saying Mr. Fossett’s plane had been found.  The plane, which had been missing for a year, was discovered on a mountainside.  Authorities said the plane looked to have taken a direct hit into the rugged Sierra Nevada mountainside.  The area of the finding is part of the Inyo National Forest.

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United States Civil Air Patrol Responds To Media Claims Regarding The Search For Steven Fossett

NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS — On Oct. 3, 2007, Civil Air Patrol suspended the search for aviator Steve Fossett following one of the largest and most intensive searches for a missing aircraft in modern history.

Despite CAP’s well-coordinated efforts, Fossett and his aircraft remain undetected. Throughout the search for Fossett, Lt. Col. Cindy Ryan, then Nevada Wing public information officer, served as primary media spokesperson. The search was conducted primarily from Minden-Tahoe Airport in Nevada. With suspension of the search, media inquiries are now handled by CAP National Headquarters Public Affairs at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.

Recent comments attributed to Ryan regarding the search for Fossett contain errors of fact, appear to be taken out of context and were not released with the knowledge or approval of CAP. Civil Air Patrol’s role in the search for Fossett, as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, was limited to search and rescue in coordination with other emergency service providers. Issues pertaining to Fossett’s personal life and/or rumors surrounding his disappearance are entirely unrelated to CAP’s search efforts and, therefore, it would be inappropriate for CAP to comment about them.

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Steven Fossett: Did Adventurer (and Billionaire) Fake His Own Death??

UPDATE>>>Read The Civil Air Patrol’s Response To Claims

UPDATE II>>>Stephen Fosett Interview Emerges After Disappearance

Stephen Fossett’s death may have been faked. News reports are starting to surface that the late adventurer may have faked his own death to shy away from financial problems, as well as two allegations of extramarital affairs.

MSNBC has put out a very public report and video claiming what many have questioned all along, that billionaire adventurer Steven Fossett could have done the inevitable and faked his own death. No plane has ever been found. No body has ever turned up. Quite simply, he disappeared.

Steven Fossett disappeared while making a preliminary flyover while looking for an area to stage his next big adventure, an attepmt the world land speed record. He was reported missing on September 4, 2007 when he failed to return from his flight. I have covered his disappearance and the nationwide search that ensued, quite extensively. After a couple of weeks of searching, with no clues as to what happened to Mr. Fossett, whispers began to circulate that he may have decided to disappear on his own merits.

From the UK’s Telegraph:

I discovered that there is absolutely no proof that Steve Fossett is actually dead. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, I’m a man who deals in facts, and I don’t really care if he is alive or dead, it make no difference to me.”What I am interested in is the truth - and a proper criminal investigation of this man’s disappearance was never undertaken by law enforcement or officials in the state of Nevada.”

This comment is being made by Robert Davis, the man responsible for conducting an eight month investigation into the Steven Fossett case.  Mr. Davis works for Loyd’s of London, the company that could end up paying out £25 million from Mr. Fossett’s life insurance.

Lt. Col. Cynthia Ryan, of the U.S. Civil Air Patrol has also went on record saying that Mr. Fossett could still be alive.  She said that it is unthinkable that searchers could discover six separate air accidents while looking for Mr. Fossett, but not come up with a single clue to his own demise.

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Search For Adventure Aviator Steve Fossett Cut Back

I mentioned a couple of days ago that I was getting the feeling that the ongoing search for Adventure Aviator Steve Fossett was going to be cut back if nothing new surfaced in the coming days.

At this time it has been confirmed that the search has been scaled back, in part.

Rescue crews, after spending two weeks searching rugged terrain with little clue and spending over $600,000 on the effort, have decided that it was time for the Civil Air Patrol to suspend efforts in the ongoing air search.

The search for Steve Fossett began on Labor Day, September 3, after his plane did not return from a routine flight to the Flying M Ranch outside of Yerington, Nevada. 

The ensuing search encompassed more than 20 aircraft from the Civil Air Patrol making 245 passes over the area thought to be where the plane had vanished.  Still nothing has come to light on the what happened to Steven Fossett or his plane.

Most people agree that two weeks into the search, the likelyhood of finding Mr. Fossett alive is small.  Some are even suggesting that Mr. Fossett may never be found, leading many people to draw comparisons between this incident and the mysterious vanishing of legendary aviator Amelia Earhardt.

The Nevada National Guard and private pilots flying out of the Flying M Ranch are going to continue their efforts until a later date.

The area encompassing the search is twice the size of New Jersey and runs from western Nevada into California.  The terrain is marred by large ravines and strong overgrowth in desert like conditions.

Steve Fossett is a world reknown adventurist and pilot.  He was the first man to fly around the globe in a hot air balloon solo.  Mr. Fossett has also held over 115 world records in aviation, sailing, and ballooning of which 80 still stand.

Search for Steve Fossett Continues: $10,000 reward, Searchers Debating Future of Search Efforts

After two weeks of relentless effort in the ongoing search for adventure pilot Steve Fossett, rescuers are no closer to an answer than they were on Labor Day.

There has still been no major break-through.  Rescue costs are skyrocketing to the tune of $600,000 so far and amature detectives may be hampering the ongoing search.

An amature pilot yesterday closed in on the area that the search was taking place and done a low level fly-over.  He said he had been inspired by a $10,000 reward being offered on YouChoose.net for the finding of Mr. Fossett.  This fly-over has led authorities to enact a no-fly zone around the search area and is also bringing up questions of the searchers role in the upcoming days as the critical two week mark has come and gone.

Many people are starting to express that if Steve Fossett is found, that he won’t be alive.

Authorities are currently in discussion on how to proceed with the search.  The rising costs are one factor.  They are scheduled to make a statement tomorrow about the search, for the public, and we can only speculate that the search will be scaled back due to costs and the likelyhood that Mr. Fossett will not be found alive.

Click here to read a bit more on the continued efforts to find Steven Fossett.

Reports of Two New Leads in Search for Steve Fossett

I am getting word today that search personnel are following up on two pretty ‘credible’ leads in the ongoing search for adventurist Steve Fossett.  Fossett’s plane vanished on Labor Day–ten days ago with little trace of what happened.

The first lead centers around the Pinenut Mountains in western Nevada.  Two people have come forward that they were in the area the day Fossett’s plane went missing.  They noticed seeing the plane go into a canyon area, but never come back out.  Searchers are now coming the area for possible clues.  They had taken a search of the area by air previously without finding anything of note, but with the new clue they are now making a more close-range search of the area in question.

The second tip involves an area close to Yosemite National Park.  Just to the Northeast of the park a woman who had camped in the area reported hearing a plane followed by what she thought was the sound of a loud explosion.  Once again, a previous flyover of the area revealed nothing–but the area will be combed again to rule out any possibility of a downed plane in this area as well.

Being ten days in with little else in information to follow other than people’s leads–all the searchers can do is go back and make sure they have not missed something during their own efforts.

Yesterday it was being reported that Baron Hilton, owner of the Flying M Ranch had rustled a few feathers after he asked for anyone who was interested to come out and get involved in the search efforts.  Authorities questioned this manuever as they don’t want a flock of inexperienced personnel in the area getting in the way of the investigation.  They also would not want someone meaning to do good become a person worth another search effort if they happened to get hurt or lost in the process of looking for Mr. Fossett.

With these new leads being made public, I will be keeping a close eye on the situation and let you know if anything new developes over the coming hours.