If you remember, millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett went missing after he took off on a solo flight last September 3rd. For a month, the Civil Air Patrol searched for him and his plane, to no avail. The search was finally called off and Fossett, per the request of his wife, was declared legally dead on February 15, 2008.
(This photo is in the public domain because it was created by NASA.)
Still, people wondered what happened to Fossett. After all, 63 year old Fossett was an accomplished pilot, having set 93 aviation world records. Searches in the Nevada desert that were privately funded continued even after he was declared dead.
This week, the mystery has not been totally solved, but it seems like the truth of what happened may be known soon. His plane was finally located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains after hikers found Fossett’s ID cards and other personal items earlier this week. That allowed the searchers to zero in on the area where the plane was found.
At first, they thought there were no human remains at the site of the crash, but Mark Rosenker, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board has said that a “very small” amount of human remains were found. Of course, they will have to examine them to confirm that it is indeed the remains of Fossett. His widow Peggy has said that she hopes the discovery of the crash will “bring closure to a very painful chapter in my life.”
But, the question still remains of what caused the crash. Based on the photos of the site, it is believed that the plane slammed into the mountain at a very high speed. It is believed that the debris of the crash will be loaded onto a helicopter by Friday to be taken to another site so it can be examined. Officials are saying it may take as long as six months before the cause of the crash can be determined.