Pilot Steve Fosset Located . . . ?

[Lastchance 0]

>OJ keeps loking for the real killers
Oh. You must mean the golf course to golf course search that he has been conducting for several years now.

I may be getting old but I got to see all the cool bands.

[BillyVance 34]

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Makes you wonder how his belongings were found away from the wreckage.

They don't really say how far away the items were from the wreckage. Things roll and blow downhill, and move with snow melt. Maybe the distance wasn't that far.

Or maybe these items blew out of a baggage compartment in-air, from some failure that was the cause of the crash, which could cause them to be a further distance from the crash site.

I'm sure we'll get those details in time.

I'm glad he's been found.

They said the hiker found the items about 1/4 mile away from the wreckage, at a lower elevation. How much lower, I dunno, I'd have to read the report again.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[Amazon 7]

Well they found the plane...no telling how far stuff could have been dragged...

[ryoder 1,400]

Nice set of photos with this article:

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/10/02/steve.fossett.search/?imw=Y&iref=mpstoryemail#cnnSTCPhoto

It has me curious that they say the engine was quite a distance away from the rest of the wreckage. Makes me wonder if a mechanical failure might have cause the engine to separate in mid-air. Or maybe the impact angle was shallow enough that the engine went tumbling.

Edited to add: Remains found at crash site: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gfmXbQn-RFLHSjd8_s23ytiM6OVAD93IL48O1

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[JohnRich 4]

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It has me curious that they say the engine was quite a distance away from the rest of the wreckage. Makes me wonder if a mechanical failure might have cause the engine to separate in mid-air. Or maybe the impact angle was shallow enough that the engine went tumbling.

They say it was a quarter-mile away. I'm assuming that would be downhill. That's only 440 yards. If you've ever pushed a big rock down a steep hill as a kid (or an adult), you know that it picks up a lot of momentum, careening off of trees, and pretty much nothing will stop it. I can see the engine doing that after the plane disintegrates against the hillside, since it's a big, heavy chunk of steel, like a boulder.

Sounds like "CFIT" - controlled flight into terrain. He may have got into weather, didn't realize that the mountaintops were higher than his altitude, and flew right into one.

What's the altitude ceiling for a Bellanca? Oh wait, there's more than one type... I took the news photo of his N-number "N240R", and determined that this was a model 8KCAB Decathlon. 150 to 180 horsepower depending upon engine type. Service ceiling is listed as 15,800 ft. Okay, so he should have been able, if the engine was operating properly, to climb above those peaks.

So now I'm thinking he must have had an engine problem, or he would have climbed his way out of trouble. Perhaps engine trouble, combined with weather preventing him from seeing what was coming...

Are these planes outfitted for IFR flight?

http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N240R.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8KCAB_Decathlon

[akarunway 1]

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It has me curious that they say the engine was quite a distance away from the rest of the wreckage. Makes me wonder if a mechanical failure might have cause the engine to separate in mid-air. Or maybe the impact angle was shallow enough that the engine went tumbling.

They say it was a quarter-mile away. I'm assuming that would be downhill. That's only 440 yards. If you've ever pushed a big rock down a steep hill as a kid (or an adult), you know that it picks up a lot of momentum, careening off of trees, and pretty much nothing will stop it. I can see the engine doing that after the plane disintegrates against the hillside, since it's a big, heavy chunk of steel, like a boulder.

Sounds like "CFIT" - controlled flight into terrain. He may have got into weather, didn't realize that the mountaintops were higher than his altitude, and flew right into one.

What's the altitude ceiling for a Bellanca? Oh wait, there's more than one type... I took the news photo of his N-number "N240R", and determined that this was a model 8KCAB Decathlon. 150 to 180 horsepower depending upon engine type. Service ceiling is listed as 15,800 ft. Okay, so he should have been able, if the engine was operating properly, to climb above those peaks.

So now I'm thinking he must have had an engine problem, or he would have climbed his way out of trouble. Perhaps engine trouble, combined with weather preventing him from seeing what was coming...

Are these planes outfitted for IFR flight?

http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N240R.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8KCAB_Decathlon

I know deadstick is a misnomer but do these planes have good glide ratio to bring one in at that altitude? Weather seems to have been a factor. Blu skies Steve. He accomplished quite a bit in his life.

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

[Erroll 49]

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It has me curious that they say the engine was quite a distance away from the rest of the wreckage. Makes me wonder if a mechanical failure might have cause the engine to separate in mid-air. Or maybe the impact angle was shallow enough that the engine went tumbling.

They say it was a quarter-mile away. I'm assuming that would be downhill. That's only 440 yards.

[NickDG 23]

Today it was revealed Fosset was working on a "secret project" un-related to the crash. It's an interesting one though . . .

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=6429493

NickD

[lawrocket 3]

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Weather seems to have been a factor.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the Fresno Bee ran a series of article about plane crashes in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
http://www.fresnobee.com/967

There are probably at LEAST 200 undiscovered plane crashes in the Sierras.

There are several reasons why so many planes crash there. First is altitude - you gotta fly high. There are over 100 peaks higher than 13k. In autumn and winter that can bring about easy icing on the wings.

A second factor is storms that can form quickly. And they are violent. Winds easily hit 70 mph up there. And when the winds come over the peaks, those winds form rotors, taking small aicraft flying at a low enough altitude down with them.

Fosset was probably a pretty dang good pilot and found a situation wherein he was doomed.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[squirrel 0]

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Today it was revealed Fosset was working on a "secret project" un-related to the crash. It's an interesting one though . . .

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=6429493

NickD

thats a very cool idea. maybe Branson or some other buddie of Fosset can finish it off.

________________________________
Where is Darwin when you need him?