Record-setting adventurer goes missing in Nevada

Teams searched a swath of rugged terrain in western Nevada near the ranch where he took off, but searchers had little to go on because he did not 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 British billionaire who has helped pay for 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 did not return, authorities said.

Fourteen aircraft, including a Nevada National Guard C-130 and helicopter with infrared equipment, were searching for Fossett, with 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 at a news conference.

The search was suspended Tuesday evening and was to resume this morning. Ryan said no sign of Fossett’s plane had been spotted.

The terrain of the search area ranges from high deserts with dry lake beds and sagebrush to rugged mountain peaks. The landscape, combined with gusty winds, complicated Tuesday’s search.

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.

The plane Fossett was in carried a locator that sends a satellite signal after a rough landing, but no such signal had been received.

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.

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, 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 had filled the plane’s two fuel tanks, Branson said.

"Steve is a tough old boot. I suspect he is waiting by his plane right now for someone to pick him up," he said.

Fossett has survived several close calls, including a 29,000-foot plunge into the Coral Sea after his balloon ripped during a storm in 1998. He was rescued by a schooner.

Fossett has an application pending before the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for a permit to attempt the land speed record on federal land in north-central Nevada’s Eureka County, BLM officials said.

Ryan described Fossett’s plane as a Bellanca Citabria Super Decathlon. The two-seat tandem "tail dragger" is capable of aerobatic maneuvers and is owned by Hilton, Ryan said.

FAA records show the registered owner is Flying M Hunting Club Inc. of Yerington. The agency certified it Aug. 21, 1980.