Steve Fossett

Endurance sportsman Steve Fossett set 116 records in five different sports, including five world records for circumnavigating the Earth. In September of 2007, he went missing during a solo flight across the Nevada desert. In February of 2008, Fossett was declared dead but two major searches were organized in 2008. Both expeditions were unsuccessful.

On October 1, 2008, reports revealed that IDs and clothing possibly belonging to Fossett had been found by hikers in a remote area of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.¹ On October 2, the wreckage of Fosset's plane was discovered.² Later in the day, remains were found near the site. DNA from the remains were taken, but they have not yet been analyzed.³

Fast Facts

1. Born: April 22, 1944
2. Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and The Explorers Club
3. President of the National Eagle Scout Association
4. February 11, 2006: Set world record for "distance without landing"
5. Spouse: Peggy Fossett
6. Went missing: September 3, 2007⁴
7. Declared dead: February 15, 2008
8. Items of Steve Fossett's found in California desert in late September 2008⁵
9. Fossett's plane wreckage discovered October 2²
10. Remains of a body were found near the plane later the same day³
11. Remains assumed to be Fossett's, but the identify has not yet been confirmed³

Conspiracy Rumors

When Steve Fossett disappeared in Utah, a massive search effort for the aviator began. Black hawk helicopters were used, equipped with infrared technology, and private planes were involved. No trace was found of Fossett or of his plane, leading some to claim that Fossett's death was a hoax. U.S. Civil Air Patrol Lieutenant Colonel Cynthia Ryan said Fossett may have faked his own death because of personal or business problems. That claim was dismissed by Fossett's widow, Peggy Fossett.⁶

2008 Searches

On July 14, 2008, ten mountaineers, led by geologist and expert racer Simon Donato, reopened the search for Fossett. The search plan is to look through remote wooded areas in Nevada. The members of the search team are paying for the search, which is scheduled to cover 20 miles a day.⁷

In August 2008, a 28-member search team formed to renew the search for Fossett in the area where the aviator and his plane vanished. After more than two weeks of combing the rugged Nevada mountains, the search ended. Team members say they never found any sign of Fossett, or his plane.^{8 9}

Related Pages on Mahalo

Steve Fossett Missing | Steve Fossett Hoax | Steve Fossett Dead | Steve Fossett Missing | Steve Fossett Search | Peggy Fossett | Richard Branson | Steve Fossett Remains | Fossett Secret Project

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