Airplane carrying adventurer Fossett reported missing

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Sep 5, 2007 | by Sandra Chereb Associated Press

MINDEN, Nev. -- 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 Sir Richard Branson, the U.K. billionaire who has helped finance 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.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the Utah Wing of the Civil Air Patrol had sent a crew of three volunteers flying in a Gippsland GA8 plane to assist the Nevada Wing in the search for Fossett, Utah Wing public affairs officer Lt. Susan Chamberlin said.

A few of the GA8's typical uses include sightseeing or as a search and rescue plane. Chamberlin said the plane will be outfitted with a device that will aid its crew in detecting debris on the ground from a high altitude. Hill Air Force Base had not been asked as of Tuesday to be involved in search efforts.

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

The search area is varied, ranging from high desert terrain with dry lake beds and sagebrush, but also some rugged mountain peaks, she said. Gusty winds were hampering the search and could end up suspending the air search effort, Ryan said.

It is not uncommon for pilots flying out of a remote, private airstrip to do so without filing a flight plan, Ryan said. Fossett had "full radio capability" but did not make radio contact with anyone at the ranch after his takeoff.

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.

It is among dozens of firsts claimed by Fossett in his life as an adventurer, which he embarked on after a successful career in securities. He set marks for speed or distance in balloons, airplanes, gliders, sailboats -- even cross-country skis and an airship, according to his Web site.

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.

Branson said in a statement that Fossett's flight Monday was preparation for a shot at yet another mark: He was searching for dry lake beds that might be suitable for an attempt to break the land speed record in a car.

Fossett was flying solo and was carrying four full tanks of gas on board, Branson said.

"Steve is a tough old boot. I suspect he is waiting by his plane right now for someone to pick him up," he said. "The ranch he took off from covers a huge area, and Steve has had far tougher challenges to overcome in the past. Based on his track record, I feel confident we'll get some good news soon."

Fossett has an application pending before the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for a permit to attempt the land-speed record on federal land in north-central Nevada's Eureka County, more than 150 miles away, BLM officials said Tuesday.

Chris Worthington, a spokesman for the BLM in Battle Mountain, Nev., said he spoke with Fossett as recently as last week. He was unaware of any other sites Fossett may have been considering.

Ryan described Fossett's plane as a Bellanca Citabria Super Decathalon, blue and white with orange stripes and blue sunburst designs on the wings. The two-seat tandem "tail dragger" is capable of aerobatic maneuvers, Ryan said.

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. A woman who answered the telephone at Flying M Ranch on Tuesday confirmed Fossett took off from there Monday but declined to comment further or to identify herself.

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.