What happened to Steve Fossett's body?
In September 2008, a hiker found Fossett's identification cards in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California, leading shortly after to the discovery of the plane's wreckage. Fossett's only known remains, two large bones, were found half a mile from the crash site, probably scattered by wild animals.
What happened to Steve Fossett at Reds Meadow?
Fossett’s crash site near Reds Meadow. (Photo by Lunch) It’s been more than one year since evidence found on a remote forest trail north of Mammoth Lakes led investigators to the crash site of then-missing adventurer Steve Fossett.
What happened to the Fossett plane?
Archived from the original on November 11, 2007. Retrieved September 21, 2007. ...the National Transportation Safety Board's officials preliminary report noted that Fossett was "presumed fatally injured and the aircraft substantially damaged." ^ "Branson: Fossett likely lost forever". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on October 20, 2007.
When did the search for Steve Fossett end?
That search concluded on September 10. On May 1, 2008, the Las Vegas Review-Journal attributed to Nevada State Governor Jim Gibbons' spokesman, Ben Kieckhefer, the Governor's decision to direct the state to charge Steve Fossett's family for the $687,000 expense of the search for Fossett.
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Where did Steve Fossett fly?
The team of Steve Fossett and Terry Delore (NZ) set ten official world records in gliders while flying in three major locations: New Zealand, Argentina, and Nevada, United States . An asterisk (*) indicates records subsequently broken by other pilots.
How long did it take for Fossett to fly?
Duration and distance of this solo balloon flight was 13 days, 8 hours, 33 minutes (14 days 19 hours 50 minutes to landing), 20,626.48 statute miles (33,195.10 km). The balloon dragged him along the ground for 20 minutes at the end of the flight. Only the capsule survived the landing; it was taken to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., where it was displayed. The control center for the mission was in Brookings Hall at Washington University in St. Louis. Fossett's top speed during the flight was 186 miles per hour (299 km/h) over the Indian Ocean. The trip set a number of records for ballooning: Fastest (200 miles per hour (320 km/h), breaking his own previous record of 166 miles per hour (270 km/h)), Fastest Around the World (13.5 days), Longest Distance Flown Solo in a Balloon (20,482.26 miles (32,963.00 km)), and 24-Hour Balloon Distance (3,186.80 miles (5,128.66 km) on July 1).
How many classes of aircraft did Fossett fly?
Prior to Fossett's aviation records, no pilot had held world records in more than one class of aircraft; Fossett held them in four classes. In 2005, Fossett made the first solo, nonstop unrefueled circumnavigation of the world in an airplane, in 67 hours in the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, a single-engine jet aircraft.
What was the first nonstop flight?
Fossett made the first solo nonstop unrefueled fixed-wing aircraft flight around the world between February 28 and March 3, 2005. He took off from Salina, Kansas, where he was assisted by faculty members and students from Kansas State University, and flew eastbound with the prevailing winds, returning to Salina after 67 hours, 1 minute, 10 seconds, without refueling or making intermediate landings. His average speed of 342.2 mph (550.7 km/h) was also the absolute world record for "speed around the world, nonstop and non-refueled." His aircraft, the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, had a carbon fiber reinforced plastic airframe with a single Williams FJ44 turbofan engine. It was designed and built by Burt Rutan and his company, Scaled Composites, for long-distance solo flight. The fuel fraction, the weight of the fuel divided by the weight of the aircraft at take-off, was 83 percent.
How long did it take to land without landing?
The official distance was 25,766 statute miles (41,467 km) and the duration was 76 hours 45 minutes.
Where did Peggy Fossett live?
They had no children. The Fossetts had homes in Beaver Creek, Colorado and Chicago, and a vacation home in Carmel, California.
Where was the Spirit of Freedom gondola?
Spirit of Freedom balloon gondola on display at the National Air and Space Museum. On February 21, 1995, Fossett landed in Leader, Saskatchewan, Canada, after taking off from South Korea, becoming the first person to make a solo flight across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon.
Where did Steve Fossett die?
Billionaire Steve Fossett loved pushing the limits of human achievement, and it was this very quest that led to his death in 2007 in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. Fossett’s fortune came from trading futures ...
Where did Steve Fossett's wreck occur?
Fossett’s wreck occurred near mountains that reach 13,000 feet above sea level. A meteorological report made for the NTSB for Sept. 3, 2007, the day Fossett died, illuminates what probably happened. Wikimedia Commons Adventurer Steve Fossett.
How long was Fossett in the air?
Fossett planned to be in the air for about three hours. He was looking for suitable dry lake beds along the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Dry lakes could serve as a long, straight path for setting a land speed record.
What was the fastest trip around the world?
At the time of his death at age 63, the adventurer held records for the fastest trip around the globe in a sailboat, the first solo trip around the world in a hot-air balloon, first solo nonstop flight around the world in an airplane and the highest altitude flown in a sailplane. In early September 2007, Fossett decided to look for places ...
How long did it take to get to the wreckage of the 'Fossett'?
Even if investigators found the crash site quickly, it may not have done Fossett any good in terms of his chances for survival. It took hikers 45 minutes of walking up steep hills from the nearest path just to reach the wreckage. Authorities camped out overnight in freezing temperatures to protect the crash site.
How far did the engine go from the fuselage of the plane that crashed?
Fossett’s crash was sudden, abrupt and devastating. Investigators found the engine 300 feet from the fuselage, meaning the impact was extremely forceful. The wreckage also burned, but it was only after the plane hit the ground.
Where was the plane that disappeared in 2008?
The hiker was in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. On Oct. 1, 2008, searchers from the air located Fossett’s plane. Two days later, bones were covered. DNA testing revealed that these belonged to Fossett
Overview
James Stephen Fossett (April 22, 1944 – September 3, 2007) was an American businessman and a record-setting aviator, sailor, and adventurer. He was the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in a balloon and in a fixed-wing aircraft. He made his fortune in the financial services industry and held world records for five nonstop circumnavigations of the Earth: as a long-distance solo
Early years
Fossett was born in Jackson, Tennessee and grew up in Garden Grove, California, where he graduated from Garden Grove High School.
Fossett's interest in adventure began early. As a Boy Scout, he grew up climbing the mountains of California, beginning with the San Jacinto Mountains. "When I was 12 years old I climbed my first mountain, and I just kept going, taking on more diverse and grander projects." Fossett said that h…
Business career
In 1968, Fossett received an MBA from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was later a longtime member of the Board of Trustees. Fossett's first job out of business school was with IBM; he then served as a consultant for Deloitte and Touche, and later accepted a job with Marshall Field's. Fossett later said, "For the first five years of my business career, I was distracted by being in computer systems, and then I became interested i…
Personal life
In 1968, Fossett married Peggy Fossett (née Viehland), who was originally from Richmond Heights, Missouri. They had no children. The Fossetts had homes in Beaver Creek, Colorado and Chicago, and a vacation home in Carmel, California.
Fossett became well known in the United Kingdom for his friendship with billionaire Richard Branson, whose Virgin Group sponsored some of Fossett's adventures.
Records
Steve Fossett was well known for his world records and adventures in balloons, sailboats, gliders, and powered aircraft. He was an aviator of exceptional breadth of experience. He wanted to become the first person to achieve a solo balloon flight around the world (finally succeeding on his sixth attempt, in 2002, becoming the first person to complete an uninterrupted and unrefueled solo cir…
Scouting
Fossett grew up in Garden Grove, California and earned the Eagle Scout award in 1957. He credited his experience in Scouting as a foundation for much of his later success. "As a Scout, I learned how to set goals and achieve them," he once said. "Being a Scout also taught me leadership at a young age when there are few opportunities to be a leader. Scouting values have remained with me throughout my life, in my business career, and now as I take on new challenges." In his later …
Awards and honors
In 2002, Fossett received aviation's highest award, the Gold Medal of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) and in July 2007, he was inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame. He was presented at the ceremony by Dick Rutan.
In 1997, Fossett was inducted into the Balloon and Airship Hall of Fame. In February 2002, Fossett was named America's Rolex Yachtsman of the Year by the American Sailing Association at the Ne…
Death
At 8:45 a.m. on the morning of Monday, September 3, 2007 (Labor Day), Fossett took off in a single-engine Champion 8KCAB Super Decathlon light aircraft from the Flying-M Ranch private airstrip, near Smith Valley, Nevada. When he failed to return, searches were launched about six hours later. There was no signal from the plane's emergency locator transmitter (ELT) designed to be automatically a…