Looking for Steve Fossett

[Mike Poore]

Want to go looking for the lost aviator?

I located a dry lake south of the Hilton Flying M Ranch.
It's at 6,974 ft, and 38.32.00.80N & 119.03.02.48W.

I don't know what the ceiling of his Citabria Super Decathlon
is, but there are 9,000 foot mountains just west of there.
Just punch the coordinates into Google Earth.

I bet he cracked it up on those mountains. Anyone know the maximum altitude of that aircraft, and did the pilot need oxygen to go to, say, 12,000 feet??

[MERCMAN]

Ask Maury, he is our resident expert on aircraft!! :up:

[Bluerauder]

Want to go looking for the lost aviator?

I located a dry lake south of the Hilton Flying M Ranch.
It's at 6,974 ft, and 38.32.00.80N & 119.03.02.48W.

I don't know what the ceiling of his Citabria Super Decathlon
is, but there are 9,000 foot mountains just west of there.
Just punch the coordinates into Google Earth.

I bet he cracked it up on those mountains. Anyone know the maximum altitude of that aircraft, and did the pilot need oxygen to go to, say, 12,000 feet??

Don't think there is an oxygen problem below 10,000 feet. Service ceiling on the Decathalon is 15,800 feet. More specs below.

Acrobatic Limit Loading +6, -5 g's
Maximum Inverted Time 2 min.
Takeoff Distance, Ground Roll 495 ft.
Takeoff Distance Over 50-ft Obstacle 904 ft.
Maximum Demonstrated Crosswind Component 17 kts.
Rate of Climb, Sea Level 1280 fpm
Maximum Level Speed, Sea Level 155 mph
Cruise Speed / Endurance with 45 Minute Reserve @ 75% Power (Standard Fuel Tanks) 147 mph / 3.4 hours
Fuel Consumption @ Altitude 9.5 gph @ 5000 ft.
Cruise Speed / Endurance with 45 Minute Reserve @ 55% Power (Standard Fuel Tanks) 128 mph / 4.4 hours
Fuel Consumption @ Altitude 7.6 gph @ 5000 ft.
Service Ceiling 15800 ft.
Landing Distance over 50-ft. Obstacle 1051 ft.
Landing Distance, Ground Roll 425 ft.


A lack of sufficient oxygen will bring on hypoxia by reducing the alveolar oxygen tension. In some individuals, particularly those with heart or lung disease, symptoms may begin as low as 1500 m (5000 ft) above sea level, although most passengers can tolerate altitudes of 2500 m (8,000 ft) without ill effect. At this altitude, there is about 25% less oxygen than there is at sea level.[1]

Passengers may also develop fatigue or headaches as the plane flies higher. As the operational altitude increases, reactions become sluggish and unconsciousness will eventually result. Sustained flight operations above 3,000 m (10,000 ft) generally require supplemental oxygen (through a nasal cannula or oxygen mask) or pressurization

[Aren Jay]

Fossett was probably used to lack of O2 at altitude and people can go up to 18000 feet without extra O2 if used to it. At 20000 feet your screwed almost like the bends.

Now he was pretty old though and that would have some effect too.

If you really want to search, take off from or as close to where he left from and fly a circle route from the lake beds so that you can have a look at them. You might have to do this several times. But I'm sure this has been done.

Hiking in the mountains there might be better, it usually is a hiker who finds the downed plane. This isn't something to go do for the weekend unless you have another reason to go there. Or you are a friend search and rescue person etc...

If you do go take food water cell phone or radio gps and flares. plus the standard survival stuff.

[Mike Poore]

According to one of our friends, Steve wears a locator beacon equipped watch, and the aircraft has a beacon as well. In both cases it would require an impact to set either one off, but both can be actuated manually, as well.

Also, your assessment of the altitude issue seems correct, especially with Fossett's history of high altitude adventures, that scenario could be ruled out.

So, what are some other possibilities, if a crash or landing in the open is excluded?


his aircraft crashed and disappeared into a deep ravine? (no signal)
He went into hiding for personal reasons?
No flight plan, did he fly into the restricted zone and get shot down?
Did he put down on a dry lake bed into the middle of a drug deal?
Using auto pilot, did he have an MI and fly 300+miles straight away?
Did the aircraft crash in one of the nearby lakes?According to an AP story in yesterday's paper, there has been a call, by the Hilton's for outside help which has the authorities alarmed, thinking there can be no coordination, and they may end up searching for missing searchers.

Also authorities are apparently getting flooded with calls from helpful folks with earth satellite programs on their PC's, making suggestions about where to look.

[offroadkarter]

Fill me in fast, who got lost?

[MinnesotaMuscle]

owww god.....:lol:

[sailsmen]

HE had a reputation for alwyas pushing the edge.

Looks like he may have fallen off the envelope.

[Aren Jay]

Breitling makes the watch, if it is the one I think it is, they are blood expensive but there is nothing better in an emergency. Although they have a limited range unless you pull the antenna out.

When I first heard about this I had to think about the drug deal possibility.

I suppose if he was looking for a dry lake and tried landing on a real one he could have disappeared, up high things look different than down low.

[Mike Poore]

11 September 2007 - Nevada, USA - As the Civil Air Patrol, National Guard, sheriffs' departments and volunteer fleets flying from from Minden-Tahoe and the Flying M Ranch all continue the search for the missing adventurer into a second week, the Amazon Mechanical Turk / Google Earth web-based image analysis project has been operational since the weekend and continues to receive and sift leads, filtering and analyzing possible sitings and passing them through to members of the search teams click here to take part. (http://www.mturk.com/mturk/preview?groupId=9TSZK4G35XEZJZ G21T60&kw=Flash)

It is now believed that Steve Fossett was unlikely to have ventured far afield (such as crossing the Sierra Nevada range), but that he was more likely to have been on a local pleasure flight - and that he probably was not surveying sites for the upcoming landspeed record project.
Based on Steve's known movements, plans and the aircraft's capabilities, the search is now primarily focused on a 30 - 50 mile radius of the ranch, with some members of the search team convinced he is even closer.

The aircraft's last confirmed position on Monday (3 September) at approximately 10:30 A.M. local time showed Steve west of Powell Canyon (south of Walker Lake and southwest of Hawthorne), proceeding east towards the canyon. This location is less than 30 miles SE from his point of departure / expected arrival. Steve was expected to return to the ranch around 11:00 - 11:30 AM. Although the Super Decathlon is capable of good performance at sea level, the predicted aircraft speed and climb rate must be adjusted down for the density altitude of this area in summer