Did Steve Fossett Fake His Own Death?
EmailSteve Fossett, the millionaire adventurer, disappeared with a small plane in Nevada eleven months ago, and has since been declared dead. But today British and Australian tabloids are full of this story: "ROUND-THE-WORLD flying ace Steve Fossett may have FAKED his own death in the mystery plane crash that left NO WRECKAGE and NO BODY," says "News of the World." This from The Register of London: "Despite a massive search for Fossett and his Bellanca Citabria Super Decathalon, no trace of either has ever been found. Lieutenant Colonel Cynthia Ryan of the US Civil Air Patrol, who was involved in the operation from the start, said: ‘I’ve been doing this search and rescue for 14 years. Fossett should have been found. It’s not like we didn’t have our eyes open. We found six other planes while we were looking for him. We’re pretty good at what we do.’" "Ryan believes Fossett "may have faked his own death due to personal problems or fears about his business dealings", the Telegraph explains." You can find similar stories, with identical quotes, from Sky News and the New Zealand Herald, but you get the idea. The national headquarters of the Civil Air Patrol has now responded with this statement: "Recent comments attributed to Ryan regarding the search for Fossett contain errors of fact, appear to be taken out of context and were not released with the knowledge or approval of CAP. Civil Air Patrol’s role in the search for Fossett, as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, was limited to search and rescue in coordination with other emergency service providers. Issues pertaining to Fossett’s personal life and/or rumors surrounding his disappearance are entirely unrelated to CAP’s search efforts and, therefore, it would be inappropriate for CAP to comment." The statement adds this quotation: “The search for Steve Fossett is a testament to the unforgiving terrain comprising the search area,” said CAP Lt. Col. E.J. Smith. “The combination of high altitude, thick forest and mountainous terrain proved to be unconquerable during this particular search operation.” Col. Ryan, reached in Nevada, said, "As much as I’d like to, I’ve been instructed not to talk to the media." Richard Branson, a long-time friend and backer of Fossett’s long-distance adventures, was asked about the stories this morning. "I’m absolutely sure that it’s absolutely bullocks. And you know he’s was the most wonderful man and he had everything to live for. I think it’s pretty unfortunate that people are speculating this way. It’s below the belt and pretty unpleasant." At the Melbourne Herald Sun, a reader responds to a Fossett story, "He’s probably sharing a house with Elvis!"
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Steve Fossett was abducted by aliens. The government just doesn’t want you to know. Bwaaahaahaa!
Posted by: LongT | July 28, 2008, 3:22 pm 3:22 pm
Fossett was asked to be the first person to represent humans on a trip to a another planet. The US Gov’t needed someone who was intelligent and an adventurer. Fossett was excited about his greatest adventure ever.
Posted by: Joe | July 28, 2008, 3:27 pm 3:27 pm
Bush did it
Posted by: Karl | July 28, 2008, 3:38 pm 3:38 pm
who’s steve fossett ?
Posted by: Daryl | July 28, 2008, 3:39 pm 3:39 pm
With all the technology we boast of today, I am dumbfounded that we cannot find this guy’s wreckage (assuming he crashed). HELLO! We’re talking about Nevada, not Afghanistan. Google Maps can do better. Is Nevada terrain so mountainous? No wonder we can’t find Bin Laden.
Posted by: ekwii | July 28, 2008, 3:42 pm 3:42 pm
He entered the fifth dimesion accidently and now he lives there.
Posted by: babaor | July 28, 2008, 3:44 pm 3:44 pm
Get with it folks; it is not the president that matters but instead your congress who is not working for the American people but instead sweet little Nancy P. driving congress just to get even with the Republicans…your senators are not even working for the people. Reality needs to set in soon for the American People. The Repubs and Democrats are using the American people to play their hates games when things do not go their way. This is what is reallly happening in America. When we can allow B.Obama wife to talk about America the way in which she does; we better start watching out backs cuz she is not out for Americans either. Wake Up call here!
Posted by: Meryl | July 28, 2008, 3:47 pm 3:47 pm
Ken Lay is bored after faking his own death to avoid prison and fine. Steve Fosset went to be his golf buddy.
Posted by: twp | July 28, 2008, 4:14 pm 4:14 pm
You know, if Farrah Fawcett had married this guy, her name woulda been Farrah Fosset.
Posted by: Aaron | July 28, 2008, 4:24 pm 4:24 pm
Interesting that they “found six other planes” and yet they claim they should have found his. Did these other six planes crash just last year too? If they went undiscovered until now isn’t it feasible his wreckage could remain undetected.
It is a shame people must sensationalize everything. Let’s Mr. Fossett alone so the family can heal and move on with their lives.
Posted by: genchen | July 28, 2008, 4:30 pm 4:30 pm
Someone should immediately notify Lt. Col. Sheppard that Fossett has discovered a new stargate (and its associated wormhole).
Posted by: Engineer270 | July 28, 2008, 4:40 pm 4:40 pm
Has anyone here read Atlas Shrugged? Maybe Fosset is part of an elite group of business tycoons who are abandoning society and starting their own civilization apart from ours. Fosset and his objectivist buddies are undoubtedly hiding somewhere in the Rockies, protected from view by a holographic shield.
Who is John Galt?
Posted by: Steve | July 28, 2008, 4:48 pm 4:48 pm
He’s up in that big balloon in the sky.
Posted by: hungry joe | July 28, 2008, 4:55 pm 4:55 pm
Whoa there wouldn’t Lee Major’s object to the Fawcett-Fosset marriage?
Posted by: tickle me | July 28, 2008, 5:20 pm 5:20 pm
The aircraft Steve was flying was mostly composed of fabric. In a crash, it would crumble and burn for a few minutes, leaving very little recognizable as an airplane.
Such wreckage is exceedingly difficult to spot, especially if hidden in a small ravine.
The idea of someone of Steve’s caliber running from something as comparatively simplistic and boorish as business matters is an absolute populist tabloid trip off the deep end.
Posted by: theantibush | July 28, 2008, 5:21 pm 5:21 pm
He bought a ticket for Alternative 3. Ask Edgar Mitchell.
A couple of months ago the conspiracy sites said he’d gone into another dimension on purpose.
Unfortunately, it’s only a matter of time before a hiker or hunter finds the wreckage and probably bones.
Posted by: wmmott | July 28, 2008, 5:30 pm 5:30 pm
What they conveniently chose not to tell us is that the six planes they found were originally declared lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
Posted by: Jasper Eliot | July 28, 2008, 5:47 pm 5:47 pm
Fawcett is on a secret mission for the Bush administration looking for weapons of mass destruction near Walla Walla Washington.
Posted by: Pablo222 | July 28, 2008, 5:56 pm 5:56 pm
Jasper Eliot: That’s because they would then have to tell us HOW they moved ‘em all there (hint: they did it with a stargate; keep an eye out for them revenuers!).
Posted by: Engineer270 | July 28, 2008, 6:00 pm 6:00 pm
Isn’t there some ‘remote viewer’ looking for Steve? I’m sure I heard a man on the radio show Coast to Coast AM stating that he KNEW where Fosset’s plane is and it is only a matter of time until he can reach it.
I’d say that a psychic claiming to know where he is is about as true as Steve Fosset ‘faking his own death’.
I hope he is found- dead or alive.
Posted by: Old Woman | July 28, 2008, 6:08 pm 6:08 pm
I really don’t want that search team
looking for me if I turn up missing…
I mean they spot 6 other planes???
Posted by: Susanne | July 28, 2008, 6:22 pm 6:22 pm
I really don’t want that search team
looking for me if I turn up missing…
I mean they spot 6 other planes???
Posted by: Susanne | July 28, 2008, 6:23 pm 6:23 pm
Steve Fossett, what did he do?
Posted by: US Dollar | July 28, 2008, 6:53 pm 6:53 pm
The truth here is pretty obvious. He met and dispatched D.B. Cooper at the rendevous point, then stole the ransom to start his investment business. D.B.’s ghost finally caught up to him. geesh, nobody uses their head anymore.
Posted by: Peter | July 28, 2008, 8:55 pm 8:55 pm
Chuck Norris abducted him!
Posted by: john | July 29, 2008, 6:23 am 6:23 am
He is hiding out with Elvis and Bobby Fischer. It is a conspiracy.
Posted by: DemocratNoMore2 | July 29, 2008, 7:59 am 7:59 am
Why would this guy fake his own death? He liked the publicity his stunts caused. He loved life on the edge. Leave it to the Brits and Aussies to roll out their rags with outrageous theories.
Posted by: Bob | July 29, 2008, 8:23 am 8:23 am
Talk about being silly. The guy has a lot of money and stuff, and he sure acts like he enjoys life. So why would he fake his death? I say the tabloids are full of hot air.
The search area is vast and full of rough terrain, forrests, mountains, etc. The plane could be anywhere, thus it’s not easy to find one plane out of all that territory despite the latest technology.
I remember the story of a plane that went down in northern New Jersey yet from the air they couldn’t find it. Why? It went vertically straight-down nose first, thus it didn’t damaged the trees that much compare to a horizontal crash.
So it’s likely the plane is still out there. Just it’s likely very hard to find.
Posted by: GWP | July 29, 2008, 11:37 am 11:37 am
genchen,
As your post implies you already know, those other six planes had been down for varying amounts of time, but none of them were lost anywhere near the time that Fossett disappeared.
As long as we’re being silly (which these stories certainly are), what I’d like to know is this: Was one of those six planes an old Lockheed L-10E Electra with a long trailing radio wire and most of the windows blacked out?
Posted by: Walker Evans | July 29, 2008, 1:36 pm 1:36 pm
The fact is people of all social strata have been faking their death for for at least the last couple of hundred years. Without any hard evidence to the contrary (no body) the odds of his faking his death are about the same as if he really died 50/50. Fossett was a risk taker but he wasn’t stupid. Flying into the wilds of Nevada with no flight plan, no destination, no survival gear etc. would by his previous experience have been stupid. I’m betting he may be found dead someday but it wont be as the result of an airplane crash.
Posted by: Mike | July 30, 2008, 1:06 pm 1:06 pm
Why would a lover of limelight fake his death, you ask? Simple: 1) The source of his fortune (not profit from personal trading, but renting floor trading privileges to would-be day-traders) is a business in the throes of death: electronic trading has all but eliminated the dinosaurs on the trading floors, and 2) Steve’s getting old and will soon run out of gas in his narcissistic binge for passing glory. Shortly before finally floating solo around the South Pole, Steve answered Ted Koppel’s question (“why do you do it?”) with a characteristically ingenuous, mild-mannered reply: “I’ve got to do /something/ to distinguish myself . . .” None of Steve’s truly remarkable feats ever quite seemed to distinguish himself adequately enough to let him rest, and perhaps a disappearance in style would let him wrap his performance and ring the curtain down at last.
Posted by: J. J. Luna | August 24, 2008, 10:39 am 10:39 am
Hey one heart attack when you flying a plane and of you go…
Posted by: p | March 18, 2009, 1:27 am 1:27 am