Good afternoon Adam –

Bob Hoover, well-known on the air show circuit in the Shrike Commander had flown the same Citabria a few hours earlier, that Steve flew on that last flight.

Was Mammoth lakes within range of Fossett’s plane?
Was it in the original search area for Fossett?
Were the hikers near a trail, or off trail?
Why would a jacket be found alone? It was September – wouldn’t he be wearing it?

[...] the whole story here. Filed Under: Aviation [...]

Fosset had to dispose of the things that identified him before returning to civilization as a different person with a secret international bank account. They won’t find the body, nor the crash site.

[...] some of y’all are familiar with the area they mention in the article, how remote is this location? Has Steve Fossett been found? On The Scene FOXNews.com Interesting that they found no wreckage, just some small items. I guess a full-fledged search may [...]

Fosset’s body will not be found. Nor will his plane. Fosset basically jettisoned his identification before returning to civilization as a new person with private international bank accounts.

If the items are authentic, this is very suspicious and may signal foul play.

We were hiking up near Mammoth this Summer & we saw a strange piece of sheet metal in one of the lakes called Laural Lake. It was located on the west edge of the lake near some rocks where my kids were jumping into the water. We had to hike to get to that part of the lake. This lake is really remote so I have no idea how a large piece of metal could’ve gotten there. We joked that is was a part from Fosset’s plane, but our friends said that he was lost in Nevada. I hope this helps.

[...] Here is the full story which includes this: [...]

Comment to Robert Meldahl…and I’m sure he’ll succeed in re-entering civilization as a new person. After all, it’s not like anyone would recognize him, since his face has never been on tv, or in the papers.

What frequency, Kenneth????

After Mr. Fosset was not found following the first month of searching, I began to suspect he had just “taken a powder”. Finding these items so close to a trail just strengthens my suspicions. Reckon there’s any connection with his fortune having been made in the financial services industry?

Just Sayin’…

I was sure I saw a guy who looked just like Fosset at our local Burger King last month. The guy was wearing the same kind of trousers that Fosset wears, so I was confident it was him.

I hope this helps too.

Mammoth Lakes is remote and rugged with peaks at 11,000 feet and more. Think deep rocky mountains. Becuase they found a jacket, his FAA license, or docs and some cash but no wreckage makes me believe he likely survived the crash, perhaps injured and tried to hike out. Winter comes early here…it could be snowed under with the first storm, and that could come as early as later this week. It’s crazy to fly these mountains without a flight plan, or calling in your location to friends and family.

hmm Paul if your not lying you could actually have seen a part of the plane.

You should report your findings.

[...] More from Mammoth Lakes News [...]

No doubt they’ve finally found him. I bet they find the plane in the next couple days.

This tells me he survived the landing and is still out there. What was found could of been a trail that he himself left behind so people would find him. I doubt he is alive but how unfortunate it would be if he survived the crash but died from the elements.

Hey Adam
Google satellite maps are VERY good for this area.
Pinpoint where the items were found and the wreckage may actually be visible from the satellite images

Lets see, the man and his firefighter wife got some friends and searched the area.
Didnt she ever hear of calling the police first?
Way to go, trample evidence in what just might be a crime scene.
She should have known better.

MJC

The reporting on this leaves a little to be desired. How far is this location (where the ID’s were found) from the ranch where Fossett took off? I read the stories that speculated that he faked his death and I have to say that it sounds like that is a real possibility. But I can’t believe he’s been living in the woods for a year.

This doesn’t make sense. How far were these items found from the ranch where he took off? If he really faked his death, he isn’t still wandering around in the forrest. He is a “new person” by now. Doesn’t add up.

It’s reported that the money found were several $100 notes in a weathered condition.

This story just doesn’t make sense as of today. Again, I suspect some sort of foul play by ’someone’.

Minden, NV (near where Fossett took off) to Mammoth Lake is ~ 70 miles straight-line. Well within his range and actually closer than a lot of the search area they covered last year.

I read a comment by Paul posted at 2:35 Oct. 1 about seeing metal in Laural Lake. I think that could be an important clue for the Mamouth Lake authorities. Please report your information to them or to the Federal Aviation Administration. Someone needs to check that out. It really seems odd that there would be a large piece of metal in a very remote lake. It could be very important to the investigation.

The fact that these items were found so close together should cause one to theorize that Steve was indeed in the area and alive. To leave behind cash and ID cards might have been an attempt to communicate that he had been present in the area. If he did in fact crash, there was a strong chance that he was injured and knew he needed medical attention… because he was located in a remote area he probably grew tired of waiting for a rescue and began to make his way down from altitude (nights can be chilly). He left these items behind to mark a “starting” point.

Interesting to say the least…

Richard Branson does not even believe he’s dead or he would play hero and search for the wreckage himself. Branson like Fossett with thier massive egos cannot resist the spotlight.

Fossett was 65 years old when he disappeared. He’s probably not living elsewhere under a new name, and he is definitely not living in the wild around Mammoth Lake, CA.
His plane will be found this fall or next spring either in dense vegetation or under water. Sadly, his body will be inside it.

I’m guessing Mammoth Lakes would be about 150 miles southwest of the flying ranch.

I looked at a Google map and Mammoth Lakes is almost 122 miles straight south of Yerington, Nevada where Steve was flying from. Seems like a logical route for him to take. Laurel Lake where Paul said he spotted a large metal piece in the lake this past Summer is very close to Mammoth Lakes but very remote. I think the FAA should be searching that area for additional clues. Perhaps he tried to make a landing on the lake and the plane sunk in the lake so it was no longer visible. Then gradually a piece of it may have floated to shore which was what Paul saw. It is all very interesting. I truly hope he is found so there is some resolution to this mystery.

FAA cards found…. a jacket nearby…… a small amount of money…..

Hahahahahahahaha!

They find these nifty little “identifying” items yet no huge peices of fuselage or wing or charred-seats or crushed engines.

What a joke!

Obviously – as many have suspected – Fosset has staged his own death (question: who is getting insurance money once he is declared deceased?) and now people are finding bits and pieces of the wreckage.

I’m surprised a little blood wasn’t neatly sprinkled on the FAA cards as well.

Wow!
To robert meldhal and others who expressed similar views, Now I have no persoal knowledge, but you knee-jerk reactions to the news is applaing.
Is it not possible that some transent traveling amy have come acros his body, and releived him of these items, then thinking how much trouble he could b, discarded these items?

Paul, if you really saw a large piece of metal in the lake you should report it immediately. It would make sense that a pilot would prefer to land in water if the pilot thought he was going down and could see a body of water. I am still betting that he disappeared on purpose but we may find out otherwise.

To answer my own question, Fossett took off from Hilton’s Flying M Ranch, about 80 miles southeast of Reno. Mammoth Lakes is about 140 miles southeast of Reno. So the stuff was found in a location where he very well could have gone down. But it sounds like the ID’s were “weathered” — that is they have been out there for a year. Did Fossett drop them on his walk out?

There is a young man in Jackson, Wyoming who is connected with the Teton County Search & Rescue organization, who has a remarkable trained dog. The dog is trained to find missing human beings. A body part, clothing, eyeglasses, hearing aids, or anything that has been in contact with a human being. The dog is remarkable in his ability to find such objects. Perhaps this man and his dog could be useful in finding Mr. Fossett or his airplane.

It’s weird they were able to do a small scale search of the area and not find an airplane.

Wow – 4 out of the 18 comments here (22%) allege some kind of conspiracy. And this is even Fox. Lord knows how bad it would be on CNN.

Maybe since Fossett was a successful capitalist, he must have been a bad guy, eh? His only chance would have been to Hope for Change.

I hope they have finally found some answers in order
to bring some peace of mind to his wife, family & friends.
We are praying for you.

I believe this could be the remnants of Steve
Fossett’s wreckage. I hold to the belief that Steve suffered either a stroke/heart attack that incapacitated him. The airplane, a Citabria was flown only a few hour earlier by pioneer pilot Bob Hoover, well known to airshow enthusiasts for his performances in his Shrike Commander.

The ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter) was not sending out a signal, not uncommon and no flight plan would be necessary of required for a VFR joyride to scout out property.

Investigators hired by Loyds of London (his insurerer) suggested that all the facts pointed to the possibility that he faked his death. These items may well lead to proof otherwise. The most obvious answer is he crashed near there and these items were scattered in the crash or by animals/weather afterwards. The plane wreckage should be around there somewhere if he is really dead. The alternatives are (1) this is a hoax by the hikers, or (2) he didn’t die and somehow dropped this stuff on his way to his new life. It does seem a bit odd that Id’s and money are the first things found if the plane wrecked near there. Finding ID, money and an intact jacket makes it sound like he was alive on the ground. We will see I guess.

There’s no way he was at Burger King, only Elvis does that. Steve Fossett was an alien. He didn’t crash, the aliens simply beamed his airplane aboard their craft.

Based on Google Maps, I estimate it roughly 50 to 60 miles in a straight line from the Flying M Ranch in Nevada (Fossett’s departure point) to Minaret Lake where the items were found. That’s a short hop at leisurely cruise in a Super Decathlon.

The interesting thing is that of ten news stories I’ve read (current and archived), five of them say his intention was to scout possible sites for a land speed record attempt. That would explain the search concentrating on playa areas in Nevada. Three stories say he was going on a pleasure flight, and one says he was going on a pleasure flight over the Sierra Nevadas. This last is unlikely in my view, but this discrepancy needs to be resolved.

The point remains that this was well within the range he could have been flying that day.

DB Fossett

You think he’s running away and trying to establish a new identity? If that’s true, finding him will be easy. Just go to the local banks and find the guy who got a huge housing loan with no identity papers and no down payment. Errrr, go through the list of all the guys with no identity-paper loans. I know there will be a lot of guys in that situation, but it’s worth the search.

Severe turbulence over mountains can cause the high altitude break up of a small airplane. Not a very common occurance, but that would explain finding stuff scattered all about and no airplane (just pieces).

I went on a hike about a year ago and found a dollar but, it was stuck to a bush and I hardly recognized it was money. But, 10-100 dollar bills just lying on the path! Something doesn’t sound right to me. There are heavy winds and harsh weather in Mammoth. The clothing and documents might have been lying on the seat of the airplane and when (IF) he crashed, the impact would have scattered all of this. The airplane has got to be in pieces nearby or in the lake itself. I think all of us know where Mr. Fossett body is, I don’t think one would have to look for it. As sad as that is.

Steve is not dead, he wanted to vanish.

Has it occurred to anyone that animals discovered the wreckage and scattered items?

//it’s all Bushes fault

in all truth I pray the family can now be at peace.

Has anyone who hiked this area ever seen any bears or cougars and such? Animal hair and human hair were found on the jacket. It’s sad to say that after he crashed and left the wrekage he met up with this unfortunate confrontation. Or he could of said “good bye” to his loving animals at home before he left last Sept. if he has pets at home. Also the jacket was found on a ridge above where the other items were found. He could of slipped down the ridge losing all his items in his pocket. The Bear, Cougar theory seems more likely. I think if they examine the items more closely they could find blood. i don’t believe the ‘vanish on his own” theory.

There’s nothing odd, or unbelieveable about the items found. It’s typical in a small plane crash to have items scattered over a fairly large area. Also, due to animal activity, parts of a body as well as personal effects can be spread out over a very large area. I hope Mr. Fossett’s remains can be found so his family can finally bring this sad situation to a close.

I can’t believe that the original search did not include the total area that could have been flown to in any direction on one tank of gas. He was an unusual guy prone to do unusual things, surely this was factored in.

I can’t believe that the original search did not cover the whole area that Steve F could have flown over. An unusual guy tends to do unusual things.

The Citabria is a small tube and fabric airplane. Any “large piece of metal” would not have come from a crash in involving this type airplane.

I have read too many mysteries, but I think he planned this escape. He wanted a new start and a way to keep what money he had and get more through insurance scam.

Steve Fosset parachuted out of his plane….after it went down, he hiked back to the crash site….left some personal belongings and found his way back to civilization. Ala Forrest Gump.

they will never find his body.

If the plane was in as bad as shape as they say it was….he would not have survived and walked away from this.

The other theory is….after parachuting out….Richard Branson his buddy rescued him by helicopter and the 2 are laughing on some island in Tahiti.

Makes for a good movie…doesn’t it

Sad news about Steve, I admired his world breaking achievements.

As a former SAR Mission Coordinator and former instructor at the USCG/USAF National Search and Rescue School, the fact that wreckage of such a small plane wasn’t spotted in the original search is quite understandable. I’ve been on many searches where wreckage and/or remains were only located years later by hunters who are bushwacking across heavily forested cover off the beaten trail.

BTW, these are only initial reports. Now give the Ground SAR teams some time to get into the area and look for the actual wreckage or remains to definitively close the mission and for FAA (possibly NTSB due to the publicity involved) to determine the cause.

Gary Wilson

Sometimes if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck it is a duck.

He either had a health issue (my guess) or mechanical problem. The plane went directly into the mountain. The end. Remains scattered by animals. The wreckage has been in the elements on a mountain for a year so blood, etc. likely washed away. They will likely find bones, etc in the area soon.

You people and your theories. FYI, life isn’t a Hollywood movie.

Medical condition probably caused a blackout.
Plane crashes.
Mr. Fossett dies in, or shortly after, the crash.
He is near or in the aircraft when he dies from injury or starvation. Broken legs (pretty common in aircraft crashes) would incapacitate him from just ‘hiking out’.
His jacket with ID may be on his body or near it because he may have not been wearing it.
Animals drag the body and/or jacket away from the aircraft.
The jacket finds its way to where it was found.
The aircraft has been found.
Wait for announcement if body is there (they are informing the family first)
If not, wait until the search finds all or part of the body.
Case closed.

There is no conspiracy. Look elsewhere to find your entertainment for your boring life.

What possible motive would Fossett have to “fake his own death” and start a new life ? Arguably the most accomplished adventurer of our time, successful at everything he does, can have any lifestyle he wants and not have to give a crap what anyone thinks.

What started this non-sensical argument ? Do any of you conspiracy theorists have ANYTHING to support such a silly claim ?

Tom said:

“The Citabria is a small tube and fabric airplane. Any “large piece of metal” would not have come from a crash in involving this type airplane.”

What about the engine cowlings?

Today’s news is they have LOCATED HIS PLANE.

“Sheriff: Wrecked Plane Found in California Mountains Is Steve Fossett’s
Thursday, October 02, 2008″

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,431605,00.html

But no remains found in the plane. Looks like nobody could have lived through the crash, they said, the engine about 300′ from the wreckage. (this is a real head-scratcher)

Some of the conspiracy theories are good for a chuckle. I’ve hiked the area in question. First, it does seem a bit west of a direct line of flight out of Reno but there are often severe storms and he may have tried to fly around one (avoidance). There’s an air field less than 4 miles (as the crow flies) from the found wreckage, Mammoth’s own.
Anyone ‘jumping’ out near that region risks slamming into granite mountains. The peaks are ragged and the whole area is uneven, deep ravines, small and large rivers… a few flat lakes but most of them are full up with campers in the Sept months, doubt a parachutist would float into one and not be seen.
The region is FULL of bears. Of course there are other wildlife but bears are a predominant carnivore (when ‘they’ want to be, aside from grubs and berries they do eat meat). Decaying flesh can attract them and it was before the winter, a time when bears NEED to eat as the Winter months in that region are harsh and hibernation consumes calories.
There are enough ‘reasonable’ possible causes for such a crash; weather, mechanical, and health… doubt that Mr. Fossett walked or jumped out of this for intrigues sake. But like someone said, “Hollywood will try to make money off someone’s loss”… ;^)

For those conspiracy believers, they just announced the plane wreckage was found, now they have to reach it and search it. There is no doubt his body will be found also, unless he survived the crash temporarily and managed to walk a distance away before dying. That is very rugged territory and the chances of a badly injured man walking out is slim to none. You are talking of miles and miles and miles of mountains that are over 10,000 feet tall in places. If you have not seen the area and come from a place with no mountains, you have no idea how rugged this area of Calif/Nevada is. And, after being dead in the mountains with critters around for a year, there might be little of him to find….

interesting reading these posts. lol some funny, some believable. I for some reason am always suspicious of people. I have always wondered how nothing could be found. Now all of a sudden poof, it’s there?

come on you conspericy theroests get it right

Branson would not be in Tahiti he would be on his private island in the Virgen Islands

also if you had seen the pictures before take off (or the plane in 2005 like i have i live on the Flying Mouse Ranch about 1 mile from the aircraft hanger) you would know he wasnt wearing a chute also it would be hard if not impossibul to exit the plane

what theroies ya going to have when they find his torn up and shredded clothing?
an out of body experance maby

A few thoughts that might provide some understanding for your readers.
My background; Bush pilot and guide, former Commander of CAP SAR Squadron with many finds and saves in AK. Extensive mountain flying experience in Colorado and Alaska. Current owner of Citabria with over 1000 hours in high wing aircraft. The following is speculation based on past occurances and my personal flying experience!
First, I am Assuming the crash was near the mine site as all indications point to or even a simular location. Second, the climb performance of the Citabria at and above 9000ft msl is poor and at best a few hundred feet per minute. It would not take much of a downdraft to put you in a bad situation. Third, the mine site is a blind and dead end canyon. You can fly it on Google Earth. It is a very common occurrence for a pilot to fly up these and not be able to turn around. Sparkey Anderson (The renowned Mountain Pilot/Instructor) did this recently.
Third as mentioned before there are few large pieces of metal to a tube and fabric aircraft. Usually when searching for these overdue plane we look for a burn spot or much later dead trees. They leave very little wreckage as the design of the fuel tanks (above and in the inboard station of the wings) often creates a high fire risk. When they burn the motor is the largest piece remaining. Also, in the mounains the (old style 121.5) ELT signals bounce off everthing so Langley rarely pay attention to anything less than three hits in one area. Elts are line of site radio signals. An ELT will not work if burned so you are lucky if you catch a passing satilite under the best conditions.
The take home message… I hope it will move pilots toward more mountain flying training and awareness. For $500. you can purchase a personal EPIRB that when activated will provide a GPS location and identifing information.
Thanks for reading!
I hope the family can find closure.
John

My guess is the searchers may find bones or other body parts left after a bear finished with them. It’s an old story that repeats every year almost. But don’t we love those conspiracy theories!

This is very interesting. Remote viewer Ed Dames said all along that the wreckage was in California, not Nevada. On the Credible Edge talk show Coast to Coast AM, Ed famously reported that he tried to get the Fossett search team to look in California, and later in a specific area he tried to give them, but the leader of the search team refused to entertain the idea that he went down in Cali, and got to the point where it sounded like they wouldn’t even talk to Dames anymore. Dames was unable to get to location, and then published a map of the general location he thinks the wreckage is coasttocoastam.com/timages/page/Fossett_Wreckage_Site071008a.jpg
Interestingly, this site is about 20 to 30 miles from the Mammoth Lakes area. A lot closer than Fossett’s own search was looking.
The referral site for the above jpg is coasttocoastam.com/shows/2008/07/10.html
I hope this thing gets solved in the near future.

I am glad for the discovery of Steve Fossett’s wreckage to disspell all the rumors re: faking his own death, if nothing else. Steve was a first class guy…..✈ ✈ ✈

Bears would be at lower altitudes. Cougars are possible, but wolves and other scavengers of the dog family are much more likely. No he is not alive. Not unless he used a parachute. Any parachute on board?

Not sure why first post didn’t post.

Round metal artifact found at accident sit is actually a pilot harness release mechanisn or ‘buckle’.

On-air reporter indicated that Foxnews was trying to identify part.

This will be a closure for the family and now the aviation can get started on recreating how he crashed.
how dare for many people to believe that he discarded his belongings and return to civilation.
They can determine blood splatters inside the pieces of the crashed plane.
besides if no body is found they can still find some clothing particles scattered out by the wild animals. only way to know is to find his clothes.
god bless for this discovery.

You conspiracy theorists must be kook-aid drinkers. Descriptions of the impact site tells those with common sense wreckage and items were thrown great distances. Common sense tells you Mr. Fossett died instantly. Your comments smack of calumny and character assasination of a dead man; shame on you. I hope Mr. Fossett’s remains are found for a Christian burial. Thank God for the find.

Received a call from someone saying that they did find body parts. It was told to them by an employee of the Mammoth Hospital. Any more information???

Just read some previous postings here.

As I previously posted, the ‘unidentified’ round metal piece shown on-air from the wreckage site is a release mechanism or ‘buckle’ found on larger or aerobatic aircraft. This is consistant with a previous post that Fossets aircraft was a Citabria. Although the Citabria IS a smaller aircraft of tube and fabric construction, it is, as it’s name implies, an aerobatic aircraft which WOULD employ a heavy duty type of pilot harness consistant with the mechanism found.

The Citabria is so named because ‘Citabria’ is actually ‘air batic’, or ‘aerobatic’ spelled backwords.

At the time he went flying there were very strong winds. Being that he is unfamiliar with area its very possible that he clipped the top of a peak and the plane tore apart[it was a very small plane]
When the winds are blowing at 100+mph over the ridges anything lightweight couldve been blow down from the crash site. Last year they found a bird at the top of Mammoth Mountain that is native to an area 200miles away south…..it got there from the upper winds that cling to east side during storms.

just a thought

Hmm, interesting. I hope they find his body. If they don’t who knows?

Official in Mammoth Lakes commented that there were bad thunderstorms in the area the day of Steve’s crash. Thunderstorms and mountains are a deadly combination. We’re talking extreme turbulence in the altitudes at which this airplane would fly. Downdrafts that would be impossible to outclimb. It’s no wonder they didn’t find the wreckage sooner. Like was stated previously this airplane has tube and fabric construction and some aluminum, but in a wreck like this the engine would be the largest single object. My guess is that they won’t find the body. Carnivores will have scattered it; happens all the time with dead animals in the woods.

Referancing some previous posts, . . .

As I previously posted, the ‘unidentified’ round metal object found at Fossets wreckage site is a quick release mechanism or ‘buckle’ from a heavy duty pilot harness found in large or aerobatic aircraft. This is consistant with a previous post stating that Fosset was flying a Citabria. Although the Citabria is a small aircraft of tube and fabric construction, it is, as the name implies, an aerobatic aircraft that would employ such a heavy duty pilot harness and quick release mechanism.

The name ‘Citabria’ is actually ‘air batic’, or aerobatic, spelled backwards. Hence the harness and release mechanism.

The round piece of metal in one of your pictures that has pacific scientifica on it is a shoulder and lap harness connector

Quick question – Why is the headline of the Fox story titled “Mystery Solved” when Steve’s body hasn’t been found yet? To me, it makes the story even more mysterious.

Multiple media sources are reporting that human remains have been found. Looks like this story, has finally come to an end. I hope his family can finally find some peace. Mr. Fossett was a remarkable person.

hoax, nothing more

Adam: A Preston Morrow found the ID cards, etc. S. Fossett was a friend of Pat Morrow. Pat Morrow is an experienced mountain climber. Preston Morrow finds ID cards in the mountains while hiking. hmm

Adam: A Preston Morrow found S. Fossett’s ID, etc. Fossett was a friend of Pat Morrow who is an experienced mountain climber. He climbed some mountains and wrote a book. Preston Morrow finds the ID, cash and sweatshirt. hmmm

A Preston Morrow found the ID, etc. Steve Fossett was good friends with a Pat Morrow who is an experienced mountain climber. (They tried to break some records and Morrow wrote a book about climbing the seven summits. Ho Hum). Preston Morrow just happens to be hiking “in the mountains” when he stumbles across this ID, cash and sweats. He says he didn’t even recognize the name on the card. (Maybe he should call up Pat Morrow). Just sayin’ hmm

What? No conspiracy? That’s a conspiracy!

Seems he’s been found. If it’s him then case closed.

The news that body parts have been found is really disheartening to me. I had hoped that he did just walk away and start a new life. Knowing that he’s dead really bums me out. I really looked up to, and highly respected, Steve Fossett. He’d accomplished many things that the majority of us can only dream about. His repeated attempts to circumnavigate the globe in a balloon until he finally succeeded was true perseverance, for which I admired him the most.

Wherever he is in eternity, I hope that he can rest in peace. For his widow, I hope that this discovery enables her to find closure and move forward with her life. And I hope that this puts his mysterious disappearance to rest.

Steve, rest in peace, ol’ chap.