Steve Fossett's Wreckage Found

[Category 5]

At least there can finally be some sort of closure. R.I.P.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081002/ap_ ... ett_search

[Ed Mahmoud]

I wonder if they'll ever figure out if it was controlled flight into terrain or a mechanical failure. Or perhaps an instrument failure leading to controlled flight into terrain.

[CajunMama]

I thought i heard on the news or read that there were thunderstorms in the area that night and that he crashed head on into the mountain. I'm thinking the winds from the storms caused the crash.

[Stephanie]

I'm glad that they finally found the plane. I hope that they were able to recover some of the remains of Mr. Fossett as well.

[Sanibel]

I came in to post on that too Ed. The problem here is that Fosset was allegedly scoping out dry lake beds in Nevada for his land speed record attempt. The Sierra Nevada of California is well-off his route and an experienced pilot like Fosset who would have known his only flight hazard at 10,000 feet would be the Sierra Nevada Range to his west would be unlikely to just plow right into them at flight level speed. There's something wrong here. We could be looking at heart attack incapacitation with just enough time to get the autopilot on but unable to radio. That would explain the full speed into the side of a mountain. I don't know what the cloudiness was that day in the mountains - but it doesn't matter because a pilot like Fosset wouldn't just head towards them not knowing they were there clouds or not.

I hiked the rugged John Muir Trail a few miles from that crash site a few years ago. It's deep wilderness. The bears would have smelled the wreckage and been on it quickly with other wildlife.


That's a shame because that balloon and especially that one-engine jet were nifty adventure inventions. It's ironic that great risk-takers die in a mundane light aircraft crash.