Steve Fossett missing - Final NTSB Report
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Hunt for Fossett grinds to a halt: police
LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The hunt for missing aviator Steve Fossett has ground to a virtual standstill, police said Monday, two weeks after the adventurer's plane vanished over the Nevada wilderness.
Nevada State police spokesman Chuck Allen told AFP the search for Fossett had been dramatically scaled back with only two grounded aircraft on standby and "four or five" military helicopters now deployed in the hunt.
At one stage during the search for 63-year-old Fossett -- who has not been heard from since taking off from a private airstrip in Nevada on September 6 -- around 45 aircraft were patrolling the area.
However Allen said the Civil Air Patrol had wound down their operations after completing their searches of an estimated 20,000 square miles (52,000 square kilometers) of rugged mountain terrain.
"The Civil Air Patrol feel that they have completed their search of 98 percent of the ground that needed to be covered," Allen told AFP.........
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LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The hunt for missing aviator Steve Fossett has ground to a virtual standstill, police said Monday, two weeks after the adventurer's plane vanished over the Nevada wilderness.
Nevada State police spokesman Chuck Allen told AFP the search for Fossett had been dramatically scaled back with only two grounded aircraft on standby and "four or five" military helicopters now deployed in the hunt.
At one stage during the search for 63-year-old Fossett -- who has not been heard from since taking off from a private airstrip in Nevada on September 6 -- around 45 aircraft were patrolling the area.
However Allen said the Civil Air Patrol had wound down their operations after completing their searches of an estimated 20,000 square miles (52,000 square kilometers) of rugged mountain terrain.
"The Civil Air Patrol feel that they have completed their search of 98 percent of the ground that needed to be covered," Allen told AFP.........
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Sorry, they found 6 other aircraft while searching?! Is that right?
This is really sad as it seems fairly certain that the outcome won't be good. The idea of not (maybe never) knowing what has happened to someone is very sobering - I can't imagine what his family must be going through.
This is really sad as it seems fairly certain that the outcome won't be good. The idea of not (maybe never) knowing what has happened to someone is very sobering - I can't imagine what his family must be going through.
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Yep, Gingerbread Man, apparantly so!
All unrelated wreckages, the question posed was whether anyone was AWARE of these missing aircraft or were they a complete surprise?!
I find it hard to believe that six different pilots (and poss pax) could have disappeared without anyone looking for them - I'm sure there's not that many homeless people with access to aircraft?
All unrelated wreckages, the question posed was whether anyone was AWARE of these missing aircraft or were they a complete surprise?!
I find it hard to believe that six different pilots (and poss pax) could have disappeared without anyone looking for them - I'm sure there's not that many homeless people with access to aircraft?
http://www2.skynews.com.au/news/article.aspx?id=190511
Fossett search ends
Updated: 07:54, Thursday September 20, 2007
The search for missing US adventurer Steve Fossett has been called off, two weeks after he disappeared in a single engine plane in Nevada.
The most extensive search ever mounted in the western US state has failed to find any sign of him, but air crews will be kept on standby to fly to possible crash sites.
The legendary adventurer hast has survived a number of close calls and harrowing crash landings over his years, including a 9,000 metre plummet into the Coral Sea off Australia, when his balloon was torn in bad weather.
Fossett claimed almost 100 world records during his career, but his most notable achievement was being the first person to fly solo around the world in a balloon, in 2002.
He was also the first person to complete a solo, non-stop, non-refuelled circumnavigation of the world in 67 hours in the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer.
Updated: 07:54, Thursday September 20, 2007
The search for missing US adventurer Steve Fossett has been called off, two weeks after he disappeared in a single engine plane in Nevada.
The most extensive search ever mounted in the western US state has failed to find any sign of him, but air crews will be kept on standby to fly to possible crash sites.
The legendary adventurer hast has survived a number of close calls and harrowing crash landings over his years, including a 9,000 metre plummet into the Coral Sea off Australia, when his balloon was torn in bad weather.
Fossett claimed almost 100 world records during his career, but his most notable achievement was being the first person to fly solo around the world in a balloon, in 2002.
He was also the first person to complete a solo, non-stop, non-refuelled circumnavigation of the world in 67 hours in the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer.
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uk.msn.com are saying:
Fossett search called off
Authorities have stopped searching for missing US adventurer Steve Fossett.
In the most extensive search ever mounted in the western US state of Nevada, air crews have found no sign of Fossett, the first person to pilot a balloon solo around the world in 2002.
Mr Fossett took off alone in a single-engine air plane on September 3 from a private air strip in Nevada.
Spokesman Chuck Allen of the Nevada Department of Public Safety said the search is being scaled back.
But he said the authorities are hopeful Fossett may be alive.
Air crews are on standby to fly to possible crash sites, a spokesman for Nevada's public safety department said.
In my book 'scaled down' does not mean 'called off' - there's still hope.
rts
Fossett search called off
Authorities have stopped searching for missing US adventurer Steve Fossett.
In the most extensive search ever mounted in the western US state of Nevada, air crews have found no sign of Fossett, the first person to pilot a balloon solo around the world in 2002.
Mr Fossett took off alone in a single-engine air plane on September 3 from a private air strip in Nevada.
Spokesman Chuck Allen of the Nevada Department of Public Safety said the search is being scaled back.
But he said the authorities are hopeful Fossett may be alive.
Air crews are on standby to fly to possible crash sites, a spokesman for Nevada's public safety department said.
In my book 'scaled down' does not mean 'called off' - there's still hope.
rts
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Now CNN (as of yesterday) say "likely tracks" found by Airforce
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/25/steve.fossett.ap/
It has been a surprise to me that given the supposed coverage of USA Airspace by AWACS, that some of this information has not come to light earlier.....
I hope their is a conclusion to this soon..... one way or another.
I have helped with over 2,500 pics from the AmazonTurk / Google collaboration, so lets still hold hope for a while longer.
Ian.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/25/steve.fossett.ap/
It has been a surprise to me that given the supposed coverage of USA Airspace by AWACS, that some of this information has not come to light earlier.....
I hope their is a conclusion to this soon..... one way or another.
I have helped with over 2,500 pics from the AmazonTurk / Google collaboration, so lets still hold hope for a while longer.
Ian.
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dvv,
Let me put it another way.......
Having only driven from Yosemite National Park to Las Vegas over 3 days last month, I am very aware of the topography of the Valleys and Mountain ranges in that region.
To inspect the valley floors, Steve would probably be well below normal Radar coverage, so any "traces" the military have, must surely have come from Aircraft bourne systems on the day of flight that are looking down to the ground.
Why has it taken 3 weeks for any relevant traces to be found?
(If I read the report correctly)
That time could be the difference betweeen life and death.
Regards,
Let me put it another way.......
Having only driven from Yosemite National Park to Las Vegas over 3 days last month, I am very aware of the topography of the Valleys and Mountain ranges in that region.
To inspect the valley floors, Steve would probably be well below normal Radar coverage, so any "traces" the military have, must surely have come from Aircraft bourne systems on the day of flight that are looking down to the ground.
Why has it taken 3 weeks for any relevant traces to be found?
(If I read the report correctly)
That time could be the difference betweeen life and death.
Regards,
niknak
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FS
The military observe radar tracks for the obvious reasons of defence of the Country and counter surveillance when requested.
Sadly, it seems that CNNs ever decreasing accuracy in reporting the facts and willingness to screen anything which gets ratings has pounced again.
In this particular instance, it would have taken a specifically dedicated aircraft to be following tracks in the vicinity of Fossets last known flight, to have picked up any tracks and, if a dedicated aircraft had been on such a mission, it would have almost been under instruction to report where they first picked up the track and where it ended, no more than that.
Thereafter, the relevant intelligence services would have assessed whether it was likely to be worth following up in terms of it being relevant to their investigation.
If not, they wouldn't have concerned themselves with it for a second longer than necessary and would have persued other leads.
The fact that someone was missing was probably of no relevance to what they were doing, or could have done to help.
The military observe radar tracks for the obvious reasons of defence of the Country and counter surveillance when requested.
Sadly, it seems that CNNs ever decreasing accuracy in reporting the facts and willingness to screen anything which gets ratings has pounced again.
In this particular instance, it would have taken a specifically dedicated aircraft to be following tracks in the vicinity of Fossets last known flight, to have picked up any tracks and, if a dedicated aircraft had been on such a mission, it would have almost been under instruction to report where they first picked up the track and where it ended, no more than that.
Thereafter, the relevant intelligence services would have assessed whether it was likely to be worth following up in terms of it being relevant to their investigation.
If not, they wouldn't have concerned themselves with it for a second longer than necessary and would have persued other leads.
The fact that someone was missing was probably of no relevance to what they were doing, or could have done to help.
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Any news?
Unbelievable that after all the effort nothing turned up.
I just googled for news and there's not much.
On www.stevefossett.com I read that on oct 19th the (privately funded) search was still on.
Any other news?
I just googled for news and there's not much.
On www.stevefossett.com I read that on oct 19th the (privately funded) search was still on.
Any other news?
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I Agree!
I agree, I find it amazing that someone can just plain disappear in this modern day and age! You'd have thought with the technology available to the American government in the shape of satellites that can read news papers from orbit, it wouldn't be difficult to find a plane would you!
I hope if he has paid the ultimate price that it was quick and he didn't suffer!
Times like these I always think of the poem.
"Oh I have slipped the surly bonds of earth" by John Magee Jnr
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, --and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of --Wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air...
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark or even eagle flew --
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
Spru!
I hope if he has paid the ultimate price that it was quick and he didn't suffer!
Times like these I always think of the poem.
"Oh I have slipped the surly bonds of earth" by John Magee Jnr
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, --and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of --Wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air...
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark or even eagle flew --
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
Spru!
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I am certain that (unless he was under cloud) the technology does exist for finding him.
But the chances of it being put to that use, potentially revealing the capability, is about the same as HMRC being able to approach the GCHQ to help them crack a secret code in your encrypted PDA if you are a builder and are suspected of doing cash jobs
But the chances of it being put to that use, potentially revealing the capability, is about the same as HMRC being able to approach the GCHQ to help them crack a secret code in your encrypted PDA if you are a builder and are suspected of doing cash jobs