BajaNomad - Steve Fossett Found

Steve Fossett Found

bajaguy - 10-2-2008 at 07:14 AM

Madera (CA) County Sheriff confirms that documents belonging to Steve Fossett and aircraft wreckage located near Minaret mine/lake area near Mammoth Lakes, CA. No human remains found at this time.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,431605,00.html

Bruce R Leech - 10-2-2008 at 07:49 AM

I cant get the link to story to work

new link

bajaguy - 10-2-2008 at 07:51 AM

OK, try this

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26976119/?GT1=43001

capt. mike - 10-2-2008 at 08:56 AM

he was likely headed to baja when he hit a rotor crossing the mountain.
why else would he have $1005 in US currency?

enging forced up the hill 200 yards from the hull..... scary indeed.
do not fool with Ma nature.

bajaguy - 10-2-2008 at 09:06 AM

Several lessons to be learned from this..........

File a flight plan
Stick to the flight plan
Ensure ELT is in working order
Mother nature bats last

Photos:

http://www.foxnews.com

[Edited on 10-2-2008 by bajaguy]

[Edited on 10-2-2008 by bajaguy]

fishbuck - 10-2-2008 at 10:44 AM

Bummer!

Johannes - 10-2-2008 at 10:48 AM

He had a 30 million life insurance payable to his wife. Some people say he had a girlfriend too. Is that's were he lives now? they did not find a body.

DianaT - 10-2-2008 at 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Johannes
He had a 30 million life insurance payable to his wife. Some people say he had a girlfriend too. Is that's were he lives now? they did not find a body.

After this amount of time, they would be lucky to find even a small piece of a body, which is a shame because it leaves the door open for continued speculation.

Diane

[Edited on 10-2-2008 by jdtrotter]

Bwana_John - 10-2-2008 at 11:04 AM

The Volcanic Ridge of the Minnerett Range of the Sierra Nevada is one of the most sublime places where one could cash it in at.

Hopefully his remains will not be found so he can stay in such a glorious place along with other great souls like Walter Starr Jr.

bajaguy - 10-2-2008 at 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Johannes
He had a 30 million life insurance payable to his wife. Some people say he had a girlfriend too. Is that's were he lives now? they did not find a body.

OK, let's stick to known facts.....

He took off in the Bellanca Scout and did not come back

ID confirmed as belonging to Fossett was found in a remote area in the Sierras

An aircraft was found (crashed) that matches the FAA registration number that Fossett was flying. The crash site is in the location of the found documents. Aircraft condition suggests that the crash was not survivable.

No human remains have been located yet

No black helicopters, no UFO's, no Bigfoot........just facts

fishbuck - 10-2-2008 at 11:28 AM

Ya this is a modern day "Amelia Erhart" story for sure.
The guy can fly all the way around the world but crashes flying in Nevada?
I woulds imagine he would have been eaten by critters by now. But no bones?
I goggled Baron Hiltons ranch in Nevada where he took off from. It must be nice to be incerdibly rich!

bajaguy - 10-2-2008 at 11:33 AM

No bones about it, fishbuck....no bones yet, however the investigation on the ground is in progress. Ugly weather predicted for that area this weekend.

The documents and sweatshirt were not at the crash site

capt. mike - 10-2-2008 at 11:37 AM

"he would have been eaten by critters by now. But no bones?"

maybe they gnawed their fill but took the bones with to make soup later?

bajaguy - 10-2-2008 at 11:42 AM

It's only been a little over a year. If you look at the photos, you will see how violent the crash was......a thorough sifting of the impact site will probablly turn up remains (hair/bones).

There are WWII aircraft crash sites that are still being discovered all over the world, many with remains in, or near the site.

I hope GeoRock and other Mammoth area Nomads chime in....

DianaT - 10-2-2008 at 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bwana_John
The Volcanic Ridge of the Minnerett Range of the Sierra Nevada is one of the most sublime places where one could cash it in at.

Hopefully his remains will not be found so he can stay in such a glorious place along with other great souls like Walter Starr Jr.

bajaguy - 10-2-2008 at 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bwana_John

Hopefully his remains will not be found so he can stay in such a glorious place along with other great souls like Walter Starr Jr.

That may not be so comforting to his relatives.......

Bwana_John - 10-2-2008 at 11:49 AM

Quote:

That may not be so comforting to his relatives.......

If they could see the view from the ledge that is Walter's final resting place on Micheal Minneret they would understand.

The view from the Volcanic Ridge is just as majestic.

[Edited on 10-2-2008 by Bwana_John]

bajaguy - 10-2-2008 at 11:56 AM

"Don't be a show-off. Never be too proud to turn back. There are old pilots and bold pilots, but no old, bold pilots."

E. Hamilton Lee, 1949

805gregg - 10-2-2008 at 12:03 PM

I don't see why small planes cannot be made crash survivable. Stock cars can hit a wall at near 200mph and the driver can survive, why not a small plane?

Shark18 - 10-2-2008 at 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 805gregg
I don't see why small planes cannot be made crash survivable. Stock cars can hit a wall at near 200mph and the driver can survive, why not a small plane?

There's a placard in those Bellanca's that says, "Aircraft not certified for crashes".
:lol:

LancairDriver - 10-2-2008 at 12:32 PM

No doubt caught in a downdraft in a very underpowered airplane unsuited for mountain flying. (Bellanca Decathalon) Since he was a very experienced glider pilot he may have been playing in the thermals and got more than he bargained for. As for remains- probably not much left after impact and the bears took care of the rest. Anyway. we can speculate.

dtbushpilot - 10-2-2008 at 12:44 PM

Perhaps the reason the plane crashed so hard with such an expirienced pilot at the controls was that no pilot was at the controls. Maybe he bailed out and is living far away....wearing a parachute in this type plane is common, even required under certain circumstances. The fact that his personal belongings were found quite a way from the accident site and the aparent un-survivable nature of the crash could support this theory.....dt

LancairDriver - 10-2-2008 at 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dtbushpilot
Perhaps the reason the plane crashed so hard with such an expirienced pilot at the controls was that no pilot was at the controls. Maybe he bailed out and is living far away....wearing a parachute in this type plane is common, even required under certain circumstances. The fact that his personal belongings were found quite a way from the accident site and the aparent un-survivable nature of the crash could support this theory.....dt

Thats a possibility. But think about bailing out of an airplane and wondering where it will finally crash. Maybe in downtown Mammoth Lakes, or Fresno, or in a tree somewhere relatively intact with everyone wondering where the pilot is. That one would be hard to explain.

Skeet/Loreto - 10-2-2008 at 01:45 PM

This is a very interesting Case.

The Crawford Lumber People crashed in Canada above Williams Lake. They were found 3 years later and some of their bones were found in the Area.
A very large Man Crashed his Cherokee 6 into the Ground South of Avenal Calif., There was still Rancid meat in Parts of the Aircraft one years later. The salvage People tried to wash out all the Debris with little Success.

Since this incident I have been concerened that Fossett did not go in his intended or Spoken Direction. Why???
He is a Pilot who should have no trouble with a "Wave Condition" or Rotor Zone.

It would be interesting if they come up with any Debris in this Wreckage>

Wait at time with patientence. Let the rest of the Facts come in.

Skeet

dtbushpilot - 10-2-2008 at 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by LancairDriver

Quote:

I've parachuted out of a small plane but never as the pilot so I can't be certain but if you provide me with a Decathelon and enough incentive (I don't know what would incentivise a guy like him) I could probably trim it to crash in a 1 mile radius after bailing out. He would only need a couple thousand feet AGL to do it.

This doesn't represent my theory of what happened, just trying to make it interesting....dt

capt. mike - 10-2-2008 at 02:26 PM

i am with DT on this one if no DNA is found.
set up an accelerated stall climb attitude at full power. step out and push off, leaving throttle wide open. stall spin ensues and at full power it rapidly corkscrews in.
might have to rig a bungee so controls don't neutralize and void the spin but that would leave evidence. full power would get it to strike with full effect.

a rotor wave in that small and light a plane on the lee ward side would eat his lunch.
before he knew what was happening.

Shark18 - 10-2-2008 at 02:37 PM

Come on guys. Get real. Fossett was a gazillionaire. He didn't need to fake his death so his wife could collect insurance. By the way, every life insurance policy I ever had had a specific exclusion for death while operating a private aircraft. It is a standard exclusion. Nobody is going to write a life insurance policy for $30 million on a guy who flies balloons and experimental aircraft.

He died in the crash. Or else he died in the plane and then it crashed.

bajaguy - 10-2-2008 at 02:40 PM

Additional photos from LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fossett3-pg,0,478534...

Barry A. - 10-2-2008 at 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajaguy
Additional photos from LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fossett3-pg,0,478534...

That site won't open up-----says it "has been changed".

BArry

Barry A. - 10-2-2008 at 02:49 PM

-----try this site:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fossett3-pg,0,478534...

cbuzzetti - 10-2-2008 at 02:52 PM

I don't know anything about the construction of this plane but I do know about racecars. A Nascar vehicle weighs in at 3,600 lbs. Most of that is the chassis and running gear. The roll bar tubing is at least 1.75" with .095 wall thickness. If you ever get a good look at one you will understand why they cannot build an airplane like a race car. It would never get off the ground. Too heavy.

Barry A. - 10-2-2008 at 02:59 PM

Like others, I think he was trying to "catch the Sierra wave" and screwed up. Animals hauled off his body, down to where the "stuff" was found. We will learn more later, I am betting.

Pretty strange for an "experienced" pilot, tho.

Barry

tripledigitken - 10-2-2008 at 03:08 PM

Very strange for a very experienced pilot..........

and

Very large insurance policy

no body found...............yet

supposedly had a home in Mammoth? (heard this last night maybe a rumor)

Ken

mtgoat666 - 10-2-2008 at 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tripledigitken
Very strange for a very experienced pilot..........

and

Very large insurance policy

no body found...............yet

supposedly had a home in Mammoth? (heard this last night maybe a rumor)

Ken

is this baja related? take it to OT :lol:

what's the fascination with this plane crash? it was cloudy or partly cloudy day, t-storms in the area, he was probably out for an aimless fly-about, screwing around and flew into a cloud and slammed into a mountain. not much more exciting or worthy of talk than a car crash, imho.

admitedly, the minarets and sierra top are a very pretty place to fly around, but i've only done it on nice days - you wouldn't catch me flying about there at low altidude in a t-storm.

[Edited on 10-2-2008 by mtgoat666]

tripledigitken - 10-2-2008 at 03:33 PM

Goat,

Easy, if you don't get it, don't read it!

ps Did you get assigned to the Topic Police today? :smug:

Ken

[Edited on 10-2-2008 by tripledigitken]

mtgoat666 - 10-2-2008 at 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tripledigitken
Goat,

ps Did you get assigned to the Topic Police today? :smug:

Ken

I woke up this morning and thought I was DK :lol:

Whoa! that was some bad nightmare

Barry A. - 10-2-2008 at 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mtgoat666

Quote:

Originally posted by tripledigitken
Goat,

ps Did you get assigned to the Topic Police today? :smug:

Ken

I woke up this morning and thought I was DK :lol:

Whoa! that was some bad nightmare

What's all this got to do with "Steve Fossett"?

tripledigitken - 10-2-2008 at 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Barry A.

Quote:

Originally posted by mtgoat666

Quote:

Originally posted by tripledigitken
Goat,

ps Did you get assigned to the Topic Police today? :smug:

Ken

I woke up this morning and thought I was DK :lol:

Whoa! that was some bad nightmare

What's all this got to do with "Steve Fossett"?

Go back 3 posts, unless you were trying to be humorous then.. :lol:

Ken

Update

bajaguy - 10-2-2008 at 04:55 PM

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26976119/?GT1=43001

fishbuck - 10-2-2008 at 05:12 PM

It looks like he flew into a mountain top at full speed. They debris field is at 9700 feet. The scraped some human remains from the crash site.
There are a couple of big mountains in baja but you'd have to try to hit them.
I flew with a guy in a Cherokee 6 once out of Puertocitos going to San Quintin. The terrain rises pretty quick and he tried to fly in a straight line across it. I wasn't sure if we would clear it or be too close to the summit because it was exceeding the rate of climb of the plane.
I pointed out a valley and asked him to fly around the mountain instead. It made more sense because we really didn't need to climb that high anyway.
Okay now it's about Baja!

[Edited on 10-3-2008 by fishbuck]

Crusoe - 10-3-2008 at 01:54 PM

Authorities have found alot of human remains very near crashsite and are testing DNA. Also they have picked up of the wreckage and pieces of the plane and are reassembling them so they can determine exact cause of crash. How much time and money will this cost? Anyone have any idea? ++C++

capt. mike - 10-3-2008 at 02:41 PM

doesn't matter. NTSB investigates all accidents by mandate. whatever it costs is paid for in their operating budget.

Investigation is automatic!

thebajarunner - 10-3-2008 at 03:20 PM

My long time friend, business partner and Baja racing team mate Chuck got killed when the wing folded up on out little experimental he had just bought.

Several eyewitnesses described it in detail.

Two years later, after two preliminary reports, the NTSB issued its final report, all ten pages.

Cause- "wing fold up"

your government in action....

(the morning after the crash the FAA guy spent an hour with me at the crash site. Next day it was an hour with the NTSB guy at the site, same questions, same dialog, and right then the same conclusion)

Santiago - 10-3-2008 at 03:25 PM

From Capt. Mikes Footer: "life is short....FLY if you're going there."
:lol:

Gollows humor I guess.

For those of you into grassy knolls and such: do you realise that Mr Fossett did not start his investing until after November 24, 1971????? It takes some seed money to do what he did.

Barry A. - 10-3-2008 at 04:20 PM

-----"remains found 1/4 mile away" (????) that is a LONG WAY from the crash site, it seems to me. More mystery???

BIG coyotes or bears in that area, apparently, to carry Steve THAT far!!

-----great way "to go", tho, if you ask me------splat!!!

-----hope I go as fast.

Barry

Bwana_John - 10-3-2008 at 05:56 PM

The second visit to the discovery site included bear expert Steve Sereles.....

It looks like a large part of Steve Fossett gets to stay in one of the prettist places in the world.

It is a good place for your energy to change form.

bajaguy - 10-3-2008 at 06:01 PM

Yeah, he is probably taking a long winters nap in a nice warm cave near Minaret Lake.....all mixed up with berries and pine nuts in some bear's tummy.

[Edited on 10-4-2008 by bajaguy]

LancairDriver - 10-3-2008 at 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Crusoe
Authorities have found alot of human remains very near crashsite and are testing DNA. Also they have picked up of the wreckage and pieces of the plane and are reassembling them so they can determine exact cause of crash. How much time and money will this cost? Anyone have any idea? ++C++

The search for Fossett was one of the most expensive ever conducted. It involved CAP (Civil Air Patrol) aircraft from all over the US, as well as numerous Military aircraft and went on for months. The authorities said they would expend the same effort for anyone.(Yeah right!) The state of Nevada sent his wife a bill for over a million for a small part of just their effort knowing she had no obligation to pay. (what the hey, it don't hurt to ask). So far no response. Now it has been reported that National Guard Blackhawk helicopters will be used to haul the wreck off the mountain. The average Joe's survivors would be getting a bill from a privately contracted salvage company.

This has been no ordinary search effort by any stretch.

Barry A. - 10-3-2008 at 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by LancairDriver

Quote:

----hauling the plane off the mountain has nothing to do with Steve Fossett------they don't want it cluttering up the landscape in a National Forest, that's all.

Barry

LancairDriver - 10-3-2008 at 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Barry A.

Quote:

Originally posted by LancairDriver

Quote:

----hauling the plane off the mountain has nothing to do with Steve Fossett------they don't want it cluttering up the landscape in a National Forest, that's all.

Barry

Of course not. However, it is standard procedure to hire salvage company's who specialize in aircraft removal to get the wreck off government property in similar cases if they deem it important enough. Fossett is not the first one to crash on federal property. The pilots insurance or survivors pay the bill for removal. You simply do not find military helicopters engaging in routine wreck removal. It is not in their normal job description. As in every other aspect of this operation this has been an exception. The Sierras are cluttered with old plane wrecks on government land that haven't been judged important enough to be collected. Most sites are well documented so when they are occasionally spotted and reported they can be verified as being previously known. A good friend of mine is a helicopter pilot who has recovered remains from crashes in the Los Padres National forest for a Sheriffs department. He has visited numerous old crash sites, some recent and some that date back 60 years that are documented. He is working on compiling a book on the subject.

fishbuck - 10-3-2008 at 11:03 PM

There is still lots of sheet metal up in the mountains. Every once in a while you come across it while hiking. I think once they recover the remains they leave the wreckage.

Jack Swords - 10-4-2008 at 06:10 AM

It is not uncommon to find old crash sites in the High Sierra. There are web sites that list many locations and collect new ones. This wreckage and some remains is still up there:http://www.fresnobee.com/263/v-printerfriendly/story/872969.html

bajaguy - 10-4-2008 at 06:32 AM

Barry......

I have reams of information on aircraft crashes/crash sites where the aircraft or aircraft remains that date back to before WWII that are still on USFS/BLM controlled areas.

One of the better known crash sites is the Tells Peak B-17
http://www.aerovintage.com/02047.htm

In my experience, aircraft are either removed or left at the site for a variety of reasons. The Fossett Bellanca is still owned by Baron Hilton (or his insurance company) and that's who will be billed for the removal/recovery.

When I worked for a California Sheriff's Office, search and rescue costs were routinely billed to the family/insurance carrier......and more times than not, paid......

[Edited on 10-4-2008 by bajaguy]

i thought i read that his partner the Virgin atlantic

capt. mike - 10-4-2008 at 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by LancairDriver

Quote:

guy paid the extensive search bill? Branson.

Dick Branson. From Branson MO. :lol:

Crusoe - 10-4-2008 at 10:03 AM

There was a very short bit broadcasted on KING 5 T.V. here in Seattle yesterday, which was a short show and tell of a casual hiker who found the wreckage. He was merily walking along the trail and came on alot of $100 bills and Fossets wallet with his name and picture I.D. laying off the trail. It took alot of time for this to register he said. WOW!!!!

bajaguy - 10-4-2008 at 10:17 AM

There is more to the "casual hiker" story........

He found the documents one day, discussed them with friends, his boss and his wife (who is a Mammoth Lakes Fire Captain).

The casual hiker said that he did not recognize the name "Steve Fossett" when he found the documents.

His boss hired a local film crew and the next day, the "casual hiker", the film crew and several friends went back to the crash site to look around.

After they did not find anything more of interest, and two days after discovering the documents, the "casual hiker" notified the authorities.........his wife, the Fire Captain also did not notify the authorities when she learned of the find..........

His boss has said that he contacted National Geographic and sold the film of the second attempt to locate Fossett..........

A true upstanding citizen without any ulterior motives, and his wife has an outstanding sense of duty.... :fire:

CORRECTION:......Discovery Channel, not National Geographic

[Edited on 10-5-2008 by bajaguy]

DianaT - 10-4-2008 at 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajaguy

When I worked for a California Sheriff's Office, search and rescue costs were routinely billed to the family/insurance carrier......and more times than not, paid......

[Edited on 10-4-2008 by bajaguy]

Curious, did insurance carriers pay? What type of insurance?

Just a bias, but I think the old Sierra Madre Volunteer Search and Rescue were amoung the best. Well, they were at least an interesting group of oldtimers.

Your last post about the hiring of the film crew etc., I agree with your sentiments. :fire:

Diane

[Edited on 10-4-2008 by jdtrotter]

Crusoe - 10-4-2008 at 10:40 AM

Bajaguy....Thanks for the real story. Thats really unfortunate and very underhanded of the hiker and his wife and fireman. National Geo. should come clean as well. What bothers me so musch is the fact that our own run news media can't and won't report the straight story either. They just are not willing to stir up animosity with the Mammoth Lakes Fire Dept. ++C++

bajaguy - 10-4-2008 at 11:01 AM

JD.....stretching my memory, but think it was related somehow to homeowners insurance.....?????

Crusoe.......his wife is the fireman (fireperson)...........also forgot to mention, the guys boss also called his attorney the day before they notified the police......maybe setting up some kind of deal?????

In 33 years of law enfoecement this is the first time I have heard that someone having information on an active missing person case has called an attorney and a film crew before notifying the authorities.

Barry A. - 10-4-2008 at 11:07 AM

-----I stand corrected, it would appear. I guess I over-reacted to the statements of "Lanfair" above. Being with the National Park Service and BLM for 30 years, I know of many times that we removed old wrecks from the Public Lands upon finding them, however others here are correct that many wrecks are still there, after realizing that it is not cost effective to remove them.

Sorry folks for misleading you.

Barry

bajaguy - 10-4-2008 at 11:30 AM

No problem, Barry......during WWII the military carted them off if they were easy to get to, burried them or blew them up in place.

This past Thursday they recovered a Piper PA-28 from Lytle Creek in SoCal that went missing on June 3, 2001

[Edited on 10-4-2008 by bajaguy]

bajaandy - 10-4-2008 at 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajaguy
There is more to the "casual hiker" story........

He found the documents one day, discussed them with friends, his boss and his wife (who is a Mammoth Lakes Fire Captain).

The casual hiker said that he did not recognize the name "Steve Fossett" when he found the documents.

His boss hired a local film crew and the next day, the "casual hiker", the film crew and several friends went back to the crash site to look around.

After they did not find anything more of interest, and two days after discovering the documents, the "casual hiker" notified the authorities.........his wife, the Fire Captain also did not notify the authorities when she learned of the find..........

His boss has said that he contacted National Geographic and sold the film of the second attempt to locate Fossett..........

A true upstanding citizen without any ulterior motives, and his wife has an outstanding sense of duty.... :fire:

Hey Bajaguy, where did you get this info? This sounds pretty underhanded, and as you said smacks of an ulterior motive. I was just wondering where you heard about this part of the story.

bajaguy - 10-4-2008 at 06:04 PM

LA Times, Sacramento Bee, Fox News, MSN.....google the major news sources and put the peices together

CORRECTION on my earlier post......it was the Discovery Channel, not National Geographic

[Edited on 10-5-2008 by bajaguy]

Bwana_John - 10-4-2008 at 07:01 PM

What? Ol Tom Cage tryin to make a buck? :yes:

Skeet/Loreto - 10-15-2008 at 07:47 AM

If I may be permitted:

I Was pulling Gliders into the Sierra Wave during the Late 60's. Flew the Mountains on many occasions.
I would suggest that this Pilot was unconsious/or Dead when he hit the Ground.
From the Mid 60's I was an Aircraft Accident Investigator for Associated Aviation Underwriters . As Claims Manager of the San Francisco Office I had responsibility for the Pacific Northwest.

As other Posters have noted, there are still many Accident sites with Debris still at the location> A good book to see is Aircraft Wrecks in the Mountains and Deserts of California 1909-2002 by G. Pat Macha and Don Jordon.

Flying into the Sierra Wave is a Task, but for a good and experienced Pilot it is Fun>
Also read "Exploring the Monster" which is about Bob Symons experiences out of Bishop.

This accident could have been the result of "A Deadmans Spiral".
I investigated sevearl Accidents of this type and we never ever were able to give a definite Cause. Because"Who knows the CAuse when all the Evidence is Destroyed /Unknown.?

Insurance Companies usually pay for Salvage removal if it is Mandated.

One of my first claims for Associated was to remove a DC8 from the Waters of San Francisco Bay_ japan Airlines 1968_

Skeet

Skeet/Loreto - 10-16-2008 at 11:22 AM

Thanks for the Photos!

After looking at some of the Photos of the Accident Scene I am still at wonder as to "Why did he change his original destinationafter Takeoff.
Why when changing it did he go to a place where he had had some great times of his Life??

It does appear that the Aircraft was not being controlled at the time it hit either intentional or otherwise.
The Debris line is very much like the Pa 400 Accident I worked out of Asusalito. Same Pattern.

Sure wih I was there to ask questions of all People whom had contact with him 2 weeks prior to takeoff.

Thanks again for the Photos.

Skeet

Cypress - 10-16-2008 at 01:35 PM

Maybe he stroked, heart attacked, and hit the mountain? Or? Did he have a thermos bottle of coffee, maybe some snacks to enjoy the trip?

Stickers - 10-16-2008 at 08:34 PM

Steve was a daredevil and he was just having a blast flying around in the canyons and mountain peaks enjoying the awesome scenery of devils postpile, waterfalls, lakes and spectacular geography.

He screwed up - he was a bold pilot and will not be an old pilot. :barf:

That's my two bits.

.

Mexray - 10-16-2008 at 11:12 PM

If our 'all seeing' California legislators become involved in the investigation, they will no doubt blame it on his talking on his cell phone while at the wheel!