By Sandra Chereb The Associated Press
MINDEN, Nev. – Millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett, who has cheated death time and again in his successful pursuit of aviation records, was missing yesterday 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 conducting grid searches over 7,500 square miles – an area larger than Connecticut – but were concentrating on an area of 600 square miles.
“It is a very large haystack, and an airplane is a very small needle, no doubt about it,” Ryan said during a late afternoon news conference.
Authorities stressed that they are considering their efforts a rescue mission.
“We are committing maximum resources to this effort,” Ryan said.
The terrain of the search area is varied, ranging from high deserts with dry lake beds and sagebrush to rugged mountain peaks.
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.
