Human Remains Found Amid Fossett Wreck

(CBS/ AP)  Federal investigators say they have found body parts amid the wreckage of a missing adventurer's airplane in the in California's rugged Sierra Nevada just over a year after the he vanished on a solo flight. The craft appears to have hit the mountainside head-on, authorities said Thursday.

The National Transportation Safety Board said that searchers found enough at the crash site of Steve Fossett's plane to provide coroners with DNA.

National Transportation Safety Board acting Chairman Mark Rosenker won't say exactly what searchers found. But he says it was not surprising how little they uncovered, considering how long it had been since the crash.

Most of the plane's fuselage disintegrated on impact, and the engine was found several hundred feet away at an elevation of 9,700 feet, authorities said.

"It was a hard-impact crash, and he would've died instantly," said Jeff Page, emergency management coordinator for Lyon County, Nev., who assisted the search.

Crews conducting an aerial search late Wednesday spotted what turned out to be the wreckage in the Inyo National Forest near the town of Mammoth Lakes, Sheriff John Anderson said. They confirmed around 11 p.m. that the tail number found matched Fossett's single-engine Bellanca plane, he said.

The NTSB would bring in a private contractor to help with recovery of the airplane, Rosenker said. "It will take weeks, perhaps months, to get a better understanding of what happened," he said.

Fossett, 63, disappeared on Sept. 3, 2007, after taking off in a plane he borrowed from a Nevada ranch owned by hotel magnate Barron Hilton. A judge declared Fossett legally dead in February following a search for the famed aviator that covered 20,000 square miles.

Searchers began combing the rugged terrain on Wednesday, two days after a hiker found Fossett's identification. The wreckage was found about a quarter-mile from where hiker Preston Morrow made his discovery Monday.

The IDs provided the first possible clue about Fossett's whereabouts since he vanished.

"I remember the day he crashed, there were large thunderheads over the peaks around us," Mono County Undersheriff Ralph Obenberger said, gesturing to the mountains flanking Mammoth Lakes.

Aviators had previously flown over Mammoth Lakes, about 90 miles south of the ranch, in the search for Fossett, but it had not been considered a likely place to find the plane.

The most intense searching was concentrated north of the town, given what searchers knew about sightings of Fossett's plane, his plans for when he had intended to return and the amount of fuel he had in the plane.

A judge declared Fossett, 63 when he disappeared, legally dead in February following a search for the famed aviator that covered 20,000 square miles.

Sir Richard Branson, one of Fossett's friends, told CBS' The Early Show that he was heartened by the latest developments.

"The good news is that I hope this will put a rest to the stories that have been going around once and for all and give everybody who was close to Steve a chance to pay the right tributes to an absolutely great and extraordinary man," Branson said.

In a statement, Fossett's widow offered thanks to Morrow and searchers on the ground and said she was anxious to learn from investigators the cause and circumstances of the crash.

Peggy Fossett said the discovery of the plane's wreckage may bring her some relief after enduring more than a year of uncertainty about her husband's fate.

"I hope now to be able to bring to closure a very painful chapter in my life," she said. "I prefer to think about Steve's life rather than his death and celebrate his many extraordinary accomplishments."

Fossett made a fortune trading futures and options on Chicago markets. He gained worldwide fame for more than 100 attempts and successes in setting records in high-tech balloons, gliders, jets and boats. In 2002, he became the first person to circle the world solo in a balloon. He was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in July 2007.

He also swam the English Channel, completed an Ironman Triathlon, competed in the Iditarod dog sled race and climbed some of the world's best-known peaks, including the Matterhorn in Switzerland and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

[mydiatribe]

Hey! The dude died doing something he loved. How bad is that?

[meinnv]

This is what is from the MSNBC site:

"Rosenker said searchers found enough remains at the site to provide coroners with DNA.

Searchers familiar with the mountainous wilderness noted the many coyotes and other wildlife in the area, and Madera County Sheriff John Anderson said: "It''s quite often if you don''t find remains within a few days, because of animals, you''ll find nothing at all."

With what remains they have, coroners will be able to conduct DNA testing to determine who it is, likely according to the impact, it was Mr. Fossett. And with all the coyotes, searchers were lucky to have found what they did.

[jamesetling4]

Fossett would probably smile at the thought of himself being lunch for hungry mountain critters.

[jetlizhan]

i''m glad for his family that the mystery is over. i''m very surprised that the id cards and cash were in such good shape, considering the tremendous impact and fire. r.i.p. steve.

[xmanborg]

I am glad they found the plane.

[mkcscbs]

I am by far not a millionaire but I always carry $100-200 in cash, more when traveling. You never know when your car can break down in Hooterville and they only accept cash. Not to mention power outages where ATMs and Credit transactions no longer function or maybe just run across a great deal in a garage sale. Always be prepared!

[lewiston14]

More will be found as they look further into the plane and surounding area including what is under the wreck. The engine was found hundreds of feet away. As to how the id''s got so far away still looks like animals draging.

[meinnv]

I am sure Mrs. Fossett will want to know the cause of her husband''s death, be it from the accident or a medical incident.

That is another reason for a forensics team to investigate as well.

[meinnv]

WHy bother, it''''s clear what happened- he slammed propellers first into a mountain, case closed.

Posted by newster1

While that may be true, I am sure the NTSB will not see that as the case. They will want to investigate to determine what brought the plane down, and whether or not Mr. Fossett was alive before the crash or died as a result of the crash.

Sometimes forensic experts are called in to determine the cause of death and time of death and to examine the remains to find out anything that might lead them to a "proper conclusion"; such as mechanical failure or if Mr. Fossett suffered a medical incident and the plane went down as a result.

Again, the investigation is still in it''s beginning stages.

[nothappyatall]

I am sure the investigators will examine the plane, even if it means calling in forensic experts to determine what happened.
Posted by meinnv

WHy bother, it''s clear what happened- he slammed propellers first into a mountain, case closed.