Aviation Adventurer Steve Fossett Missing

Millionaire Pilot Disappears After Taking Off In A Single-Engine Plane In Nevada On Monday

(CBS/AP)  Millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett, who has cheated death time and again in his successful pursuit of aviation records, was missing Tuesday after taking off in a single-engine plane the day before to scout locations for a land-speed record, officials said.

Teams searched a broad swath of rugged terrain in western Nevada near the ranch where he took off, but searchers had little to go on because he apparently didn't file a flight plan, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said.

"They are working on some leads, but they don't know where he is right now," FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said.

Fossett, the first person to circle the world solo in a balloon, was seeking places for an upcoming attempt to break the land speed record in a car, said Paul Charles, a spokesman for Sir Richard Branson, the U.K. billionaire who has financed many of Fossett's adventures.

The 63-year-old took off alone at 8:45 a.m. Monday from an airstrip at hotel magnate Barron Hilton's Flying M Ranch, about 70 miles southeast of Reno.

A friend reported him missing when he didn't return, authorities said.

Thirteen aircraft were searching for Fossett in addition to ground crews, said Maj. Cynthia S. Ryan of the Civil Air Patrol. The teams were doing "grid" searches over hundreds of square miles.

"We are committing maximum resources to this effort," she said. "As far as we know now, it is still a rescue mission."

Gusty winds were hampering the search, Ryan said. "If they get too bad we could have to suspend air search operations," she said.

Said Charles: "We understand that Steve Fossett was flying solo and he was carrying four full tanks of gas on board. He was searching for dry and empty lake beds which might be suitable for his plan to break the land speed record."

Ryan described the plane as a Bellanca Citabria Super Decathalon, blue and white with orange stripes and blue sunburst designs on the wings.

The Bellanca Super Decathlon is used primarily for aerobatics and it is built to withstand the stresses and g-forces encountered during tight turns and maneuvers, reports CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes. While Fossett is obviously a fan of experimental aircraft, he is not known to be an aficionado of aerobatics.

FAA records show the registered owner is Flying M Hunting Club Inc. of Yerington, Nev. The agency certified it Aug. 21, 1980.

A telephone message left for a Peggy Fossett in Beaver Creek, Colo., where Steve Fossett lives, was not immediately returned.

In 2002, Fossett became the first person to fly around the world alone in a balloon. In two weeks, his balloon flew 19,428.6 miles around the Southern Hemisphere. The record came after five previous attempts - some of them spectacular and frightening failures.

John Kugler, a longtime friend who taught Fossett ballooning, described Hilton's ranch as a place where aviation enthusiasts gather for weekends of good food and flying.

Kugler said that Fossett is a careful, capable flyer and that his aircraft is a "safe plane," and he held out hope Fossett would be found alive.

"They're going to find him on a mountainside," Kugler said. "He's going to be hungry and want some good food."

Three years later, in March 2005, he became the first person to fly a plane solo around the world without refueling.

He and a co-pilot also claim to have set a world glider altitude record of 50,671 feet during a flight in August 2006 over the Andes Mountains.

Fossett, a Stanford University graduate with a master's degree from Washington University in St. Louis, went to Chicago to work in the securities business and ultimately founded his own firm, Marathon Securities.

Fossett has climbed some of the world's tallest peaks, including the Matterhorn in Switzerland and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. He also swam the English Channel in 1985, placed 47th in the Iditarod dog sled race in 1992 and participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans car race in 1996 and broke the round-the-world sailing record by six days in 2004.

In 1995, Fossett became the first person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon, landing in Leader, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Fossett was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in July. He told a crowd gathered at the Dayton Convention Center in Ohio that he would continue flying.

"I'm hoping you didn't give me this award because you think my career is complete, because I'm not done," Fossett said.

Fossett said he planned to go to Argentina in November in an effort to break a glider record.

[incog-nito]

So long Steve. You will be sorely missed.

[jetranger7]

I THINK HE MAY HAVE LANDED AT AREA 54-HANGER 18, AND THOSE UFO ALIENS CAPTURED HIM AND ARE PERFORMING EXPERIMENTS ON HIM !!!! YOUR NOT SUPPOSED TO FLY ANYWHERE NEAR HANGER 18 AREA 54, I''D GO LOOK THERE 1st !!!! CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE WEIRD KIND !!!!!

[montanaman9]

Steve, you da man...hope you make it

[why_ma_raner]

What year and model Bellanca? The early Scouts and Citabrias used a box spar from the strut out and they were known to break during aerobatics after experiencing ground damage to the wingtip. I know, it killed two friends of mine. There is an AD out now and the newer ones have a different construction. It does not look good for Steve, regardless of what happened. A great loss. He was a helluva record breaker. But watch and see they find evidence of a spar break at the mid-wing strut attach point...

[jetlizhan]

wow, what a big adventurer he is and has accomplished so much. hope he''s found.

Another fool who was above filing a VFR flight plan. That it can''t happen to me attitude. As a Flight Instructor for over 30 years, I see this all the time that these folks think their invincible...they ain''t.

[aaabee-2009]

He didn''t fall afoul of that woman astronaut, did he?

What was her name...rhymes with I''m No Wack.....Lisa Nowak, that''s the one.

Calls herself Lisa Issawak these days.

[beadazzle]

Sheesh from the way people are talking in here you''d think Steve has passed on. Unless you know something we all don''t know as far as i''m concerned he''s still alive somewhere.

My prayer go out to you Steve where ever you may be.

[slim1h2o]

Hey everybody,..its me Steve,... i''m right here, ....no ,..... over here!

Hey, I was flying around, and spotted this little Cantina on the desert floor and thought I would zoom in for a couple brews, must a lost track time. Whew! I gotta get going ,...cya!

On serious note,...Hope he''s alive and well!

[agnim]

"Aviation Adventurer Steve Fossett Missing"

Anyone checked the sunset?
No doubt Foss flew off into the sunset. LOL

[maxketter]

Think how much money this knuckle head has cost the taxpayers looking for him over the years not to mention the risk of 100''s of lives.
Hopfully he''s augered in and we can stop all the nonsense

[boldwin223]

"Another fool who was above filing a VFR flight plan. That it can''''t happen to me attitude. As a Flight Instructor for over 30 years, I see this all the time that these folks think their invincible...they ain''''t."
Posted by jodykeydash at 03:46 PM : Sep 04, 2007

So you never fly without a VFR flight plan? Even when you are just site seeing around the old home base!!!

[toolmangler-2009]

He may be down but I don''t believe hes out yet, if anybody could survive a crash/landing, he could.

[toolmangler-2009]

Posted by maxketter at 04:51 PM : Sep 04, 2007

With intreped explorers like you, we wouldn''t be off the ground yet. He accomplished something with his life, what have you accomplished except to applaud his death!!!

[sal567]

If he crashed and died, at least he died doing what he loved best - flying! Way to go!

[edintex]

I sure hope they find Mr. Fossett in good shape.

I''m suprised that one of the Bush-o-phobic left wing commentators on here has not blamed President Bush for Mr. Fossetts unfortunate accident yet.

[incog-nito]

I''m surprised that the Bushies haven''t accused the lefties of accusing Bush yet. Wait, that''s done already.

[barbaraf4]

What''s that old sayings? There are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots. This might have been one adventure too many.

[jetranger7]

OK, OK, Stop Whining all you Bush Supporters, here it goes now : I believe Mr.Bush & Cheney may have had him picked up for reasons to Secret to be revealed on here, its a Top Secret Military plan that Bush has and only they know about it, he''s probably most likely at Hanger18, area 54 in the Nevada desert getting ready to take a Space Flight up to Mars with those Secret Aliens they don''t want us to know about !!! So bequiet about it, and Don''t tell everybody, and for Christ Sakes don''t post anything about it on the Internet !!! Mums the word !!!!!!! Bush is behind it !!!!!!

[fairandbal]

I''''m surprised that the Bushies haven''''t accused the lefties of accusing Bush yet. Wait, that''''s done already.
Posted by incog-nito at 06:34 PM : Sep 04, 2007

What do you mean!? According to the Bushies, this is Clinton''s fault.

[jetranger7]

Go YOU TUBE Steve Fossett and theres some new videos on him !!!

[maxketter]

toolmangler, your name says it all "looser"

[mrhoppy-2009]

Grow up you idiots. A fellow aviator is down and he must be brought home.

[incog-nito]

"Steve Fossett, meet Amelia Earhardt. Amelia, Steve."

[oakishpines]

'' ... there''s cartoon characters inside the strings that comprise the atoms ... there''s infinite points betweenn two geometric points and energy and matter can neither be created nor destroyed under ordinary circumstances ... i can kick an atom against a tree such that the whole thing comes down without the atoms breaking down into photons and running off into forever ... and i can kick an atom against what was the tree such that the whole thing goes back up ... and i can bring it down and put it up enough times to create the energy i need to birth a string ... so i am the cartoon characters within the strings ... and there is no difference in being above or below or inside or out or in front or in back or more small or more large or more slow or more fast ... and there is both above and below and more slow and more fast ... and i am all of that and none of that and so much more and so much less ... ''

'' ... being infinite is like being an infinite drop in an infinite bucket in an inifinite universe in infinite more numbers of universes and eternitys ... and i am all of that and none of that and so much more and so much less ... ''

'' ... lets dance non-porno get sick tax world songs rallied round the godliest well beds rocketing round the farm trails ... ''

'' ... the kid army would have won had they not kept stopping to spank all the naked adults ... ''