Wednesday we learned that possible traces of Steve Fossett were recovered in the California wilderness. Today, the National Transportation Safety Board announced that it has:

Dispatched investigators to California to investigate the crash of a small plane that was found yesterday that appears to be the aircraft piloted by adventurer Steve Fossett. The Bellanca 8KCAB (N240R) has been missing since September 3, 2007.

The wreckage is sitting at about 10,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Mammoth Lakes, California.

Meanwhile, it seems even more likely that the IDs that were found earlier this week belonged to Fossett: The name, address, date of birth and certificate number on them match FAA records, the agency says.

Update: Officials now say that the wreckage is in fact Fossett's plane.

Related Stories:
· NTSB Investigating Crash in California [Official Site]
· Possible Traces of Steve Fossett Recovered in California [Jaunted]
· Steve Fossett coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-10-02T10:23:50-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/1/15508/8715

A hiker in a remote area near Mammoth Lakes, California found two "well-weathered" IDs, about $1,000 in cash and a size XL black Nautica pullover fleece that may have belonged to Steve Fossett. The items were found not far from where backcountry superstar Simon Donato was searching for Fossett this summer.

Because the IDs don't have pictures, it's hard to say with absolute certainty that the pilot ID and separate FAA ID are Fossett's, and no plane wreckage has yet been found in the area. Still, it's the first lead on the missing adventurer in months, despite numerous efforts to track down any trace of the world record holder.

Fossett, you'll remember, was declared dead by a judge in February after he disappeared after what was to be an easy afternoon flight from Barron Hilton's ranch in September 2007.

Related Stories:
· Apparent Steve Fossett Belongings Found [CNN]
· "Steve Fossett Items" Found [AFP, via Google]
· Possible Fossett ID, Items Found [AP, via Google]
· Steve Fossett coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-10-01T15:52:53-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/7/14/165830/931

A court may have declared Steve Fossett legally dead back in February, but a group of backcountry experts and wilderness athletes is setting out to search for any sign of the super-adventurer. The 10-person squad has set up a base camp between the Bodie Hills and the Sweetwater Mountains, about a 110-mile drive south of Reno, Nevada.

Geologist and "adventure racer" Simon Donato is leading the ground search team, and his group will cover 15 to 20 miles of territory a day, focusing on wooded areas that could obscure aerial views of the wreckage of Fossett's plane.

Another similar but separate team will try its luck with an independent ground search later this year. Fossett's widow, Peggy, isn't involved with either effort.

Related Stories:
· Search for Adventurer Resumes [AP, via Google]
· Elite Team Renews Fossett Search [BBC]
· New Leads in Fossett Search [Jaunted]
· Steve Fossett Search Map [Jaunted]
· Google Maps/Where Is... coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-07-14T17:04:24-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/5/2/13228/84441

After a lengthy and ultimately unsuccessful hunt for adventurer Steve Fossett last year, Nevada was left holding a search-and-rescue bill for $687,000. Now the governor wants his family to chip in for some of those costs. Barron Hilton, whose Flying M Ranch was the setting-off point for Fossett's fateful flight, has already sent the state a check for $200,000.

The Governor Jim Gibbons' press secretary says any contribution would be voluntary, but added:

We are going to request that they help offset some of these expenses, considering the scope of the search, the overall cost as well as our ongoing budget difficulties.

The search for Fossett was indeed a massive one, involving multiple agencies and covering 20,000 square miles. Ultimately, though, rescuers found no trace of the world record holder, and he was declared legally dead on February 15, 2008.

Related Stories:
· Nevada Governor to Ask Fossett Widow to Help Pay [AP, via Google]
· Steve Fossett Search Map [Jaunted]
· Search for Steve Fossett Scaled Back [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-05-02T13:30:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/2/18/14753/7643

Super-adventurer Steve Fossett was declared dead by a Chicago judge on Friday, more than five months after he vanished into the Nevada wilderness on a daytime flight in a light aircraft.

His widow, Peggy, took the stand during the court proceedings, testifying to Fossett's legendary survival skills:

Everybody thought he'd come walking down the road one day and have another story to tell.

Sadly, that never happened, and there's been no sign of him--or even his plane--despite a massive search operation that went on for weeks. A search-and-rescue expert at the trial testified that Fossett could've crashed in a crevice near Mt. Grant in Nevada. It's also possible, he said, that pine trees were obscuring the wreckage of his plane.

This ruling not withstanding, we're betting people will be pondering the mystery of Fossett's disappearance for decades to come.

Related Stories:
· Steve Fossett Declared Legally Dead [Chicago Tribune]
· RIP Steve Fossett [WorldHum]
· Steve Fossett Search Map [Jaunted]
· Steve Fossett coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-02-18T14:11:09-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/9/14/161814/005 This quick hit list is all about pop culture travel trends in real-time. Six bits of travel pressed, dry candy pixels for you to digest weekly.

Fame
	Virgin America's Getting In-Flight WiFi
	50,000 Germanwings Flights For Next to Nothing
	Chris Dodd Wants You To Visit Cuba. Legally.

Lame
	The Saga Continues
	Still Searching for Steve Fossett
	German Tourists Stealing from the Tip Jar

]]> pbb 2007-09-14T16:45:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/9/6/16356/18293
A Super Decathlon like the one Fossett helmed

It's now been four days since record-breaking adventure traveler Steve Fossett set off from the Flying M Ranch, and there's still no sign of him. He was expected back at Flying M the same day he took off, reportedly to scout locations for a land speed record try.

The search has been going on almost around the clock, except when weather keeps search and rescue craft grounded. Teams are covering a vast amount of territory looking for Fossett, and despite finding nothing yet, his friends, including Richard Branson, are still optimistic that'll he be found.

The latest on the search:
· Search Area Expands to 10,000 Square Miles... [ABC]
· That's "A Lot of Terrain" to Cover [CNN]
· The Search Could Go On For Two Weeks [Reuters, via NYT]
· Branson Wants Google Maps Info for the Search [Reuters]
· Experts Stunned by Fossett's Disappearance [Wired]

[Photo: VGPhoto]]]> pbb 2007-09-06T16:50:01-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/