Steve Fossett was declared legally dead last February when his plane crashed. However, he may still be alive in a wooded area in Nevada. A team of ten elite athletes and expert mountaineers have resumed a search for him.
Adventurer
At age 63, Fossett is remembered as one of the greatest adventurers of all time. He’s a multi-millionaire, an air-balloon world circumventor, a sailor, an aviator, and a mountain climber. He started early in life, achieving the highest rank in boy scouts at age thirteen, eagle scout. Fossett had an MBA from Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
Record Breaker
Since his 2002 feats, he has again set records. “Fossett made the first solo nonstop and unrefueled circumnavigation of the world in 67 hours in the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, a single engine jet aircraft.” (Wikipedia) He also set a record for longest flight, at 76 hours, 45 minutes. In total he has 93 aviation world records ratified by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale and 23 world records ratified by World Sailing Speed Record Council. He also has glider records and air balloon records.
Search and Rescue
Judge Jeffrey A. Malak of the Circuit Court of Cook County declared Steve Fossett legally dead on February 15, 2008. He took off on a solo flight on September 3, 2007, and crashed in Nevada near the California border. The latest team is searching the Wassuk Range of mountains. Hopes to find him alive still exist today because he has survived so many other feats, including fires and mechanical failures. The new search team hopes to at least find wreckage, but if they don’t, they at least give the next team one spot less to check.
Sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7506220.stm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Fossett