Search Along Flight Path Was "Eliminated As A Possibility" Due To Witness Statement

The National Transportation Safety Board has released an updated factual report on the September 3, 2007 loss of adventurer Steve Fossett... including accounts from pilots flying in the general area of the accident, and witnesses on the ground who saw Fossett's plane shortly after it took off from a private airstrip, about 50 miles south of Reno, NV.

A massive search effort undertaken by federal, state and local authorities -- as well as independent search crews -- failed to turn up any sign of Fossett. As ANN reported, the wreckage of Fossett's downed Bellanca Super Decathlon was found in October 2008 by a hiker near Mammoth Lakes, CA, 65 miles south of the departure point of Flying M Ranch. 

The factual report cites accounts from two pilots -- one in a Cessna 206, the other in a King Air -- who reported calm surface winds around Mammoth Lakes and Reno, respectively. While the C206 didn't encounter any rough air on its flight from Rio Vista Airport (O88), the King Air's pilot reported "random clear air turbulence" while approaching and departing Reno, with calm surface conditions changing to 30-35 knot winds out of the west above 2,500' AGL. On climbout from RNO, the King Air pilot noted the air was "unusually smooth when it was not turbulent."

A third pilot, flying a glider from Eastern Sierra Regional Airport (BIH) in Bishop, CA -- 50 miles southeast of the accident site -- told investigators it was unusually windy on the ground during takeoff, but conditions were smooth above 10,000 feet. This pilot heard a Civil Air Patrol pilot call on the radio, asking if anyone on frequency had seen Fossett's aircraft.

The NTSB also spoke with a camper, who thought he saw Fossett's plane flying overhead roughly 30 miles north of the accident site. This individual told investigators, "The airplane was heading into the wind, and it looked like it was standing still due to the wind."

According to the NTSB, Fossett's plane "collided with terrain while maneuvering in remote mountainous terrain approximately eight miles west-northwest of Mammoth Lakes...  destroying the plane and killing the pilot." Investigators said the plane "was severely fragmented and a severe post crash fire burned most of the structure and surrounding vegetation."

The NTSB acknowledges the plane's eventual flight path was reviewed early in the massive search effort, but "was eliminated as a possibility, as its time did not agree with the time of a witness sighting that was believed to be accurate. The witness sighting was that of the Flying M employee who observed the airplane approximately 9 miles south of the departure airstrip. Initially, the time of this sighting was believed to be 0925 to 0935; however, it was later determined that the time of the witness sighting was actually 0825 to 0835.

"The California Wing of the CAP reported that the area where the wreckage was located had been searched once by air during the original search," the NTSB added.

FMI: Read The Full Factual Report