Steve Fossett

- Born: April 22, 1944
- Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and The Explorers Club
- President of the National Eagle Scout Association
- February 11, 2006: Set world record for "distance without landing"
- Spouse: Peggy Fossett
- Went missing: September 3, 2007CNN.com: Search Called Off For Adventurous Aviator Steve Fossett
- Declared dead: February 15, 2008
- Items of Steve Fossett's found in California desert in late September 2008Los Angeles Times: Steve Fossett's ID Papers Reported Found (October 1, 2008)
- Fossett's plane wreckage and remains discovered October 2, 2008Washington Post: Crews Find Plane Believed to Be Fossett's(October 2, 2008)

Endurance sportsman Steve Fossett set 116 records in five different sports, including five world records for circumnavigating the Earth. In September of 2007, he went missing during a solo flight across the Nevada desert. In February of 2008, Fossett was declared dead, and his remains were found more than eight months later.
On October 1, 2008, reports revealed that IDs and clothing belonging to Fossett had been found by hikers in a remote area of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.CNN: Apparent Steve Fossett belongings found(October 1, 2008) On October 2, remains of Fossett's body and the wreckage of his plane were discovered.Washington Post: Crews Find Plane Believed to Be Fossett's (October 2, 2008) Bay News 9: Remains found at Steve Fossett wreckage site (October 2, 2008) In March 2009, a witness came forward claiming to have seen Fossett's plane immediately before the crash, "standing still" in the air.FOX News: Camper Saw Fossett's Plane "Standing Still" (March 5, 2009)
Conspiracy Rumors

When Steve Fossett disappeared in Utah, a massive search effort for the aviator began. Black hawk helicopters were used, equipped with infrared technology, and private planes were involved. No trace was found of Fossett or of his plane, leading some to claim that Fossett's death was a hoax. U.S. Civil Air Patrol Lieutenant Colonel Cynthia Ryan said Fossett may have faked his own death because of personal or business problems. That claim was dismissed by Fossett's widow, Peggy Fossett.Telegraph: Adventurer Steve Fossett's Widow... (July 29, 2008)
2008 Searches

Two searches for signs of Fossett were conducted in 2008 before his remains were found in October of that year. On July 14, 2008, ten mountaineers, led by geologist and expert racer Simon Donato, reopened the search for Fossett. The search plan is to look through remote wooded areas in Nevada. The members of the search team are paying for the search, which is scheduled to cover 20 miles a day.BBC News: Elite Team Renews Fossett Search {July 14, 2008)
In August 2008, a 28-member search team formed to renew the search for Fossett in the area where the aviator and his plane vanished. After more than two weeks of combing the rugged Nevada mountains, the search ended. Team members say they never found any sign of Fossett, or his plane.Mercury News: Fossett search ends in Nevada (September 9, 2008) The Associated Press: Search continues for remains of missing adventurer