Posted on 10/02/2008 7:19:11 AM PDT by Dan Cooper
Summary of press conference by Mammoth Lakes Sheriff:
Aircraft crash site found near Mammoth Lakes, CA. NTSB Confirms that the N number of the aircraft matches the missing adventurer's plane. Wreckage found about 1/4 mile from the location where Fossett's ID and other items where found. No remains were found in the aircraft. The aircraft appeared to a flown into the side of a hill.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Other psssessions 1/4 mile away... suggests he may have survived crash and tried to seek help. Bears and mountain lions up that way, I’ve read.
Controlled flight into terrain.
It sure wasn't the side of a hill, it was a mountain. The crash site is at the 10,000 foot level and it is starting to cloud up here now, calling for snow down to 8,000 feet by Saturday making recovery efforts difficult.
I expect they’ll recover any remains within a few days...
sad way to go, but Adventurous.
At least he went out doing something he loved.
Sister and BIL lived in Bishop for many years....
Nice part of Calif.....
The Sheriff said animals were a possibility, though I would have though that some evidence of a body would be found. He also said that the crash did not look survivable.
Fairly far from the area that was searched before. I wonder if he was sight seeing, or lost.
Well, when you don’t file a flight plan...
I wonder if the cash/id was 1/4 mile from crash site vertically, or horizontally... I mean, could he have fallen there from ipact, or crawled/walked...?
More lions than bears. But even a rodent could of drug the wallet and shirt off form the wreck. My guess is they may never finds the bones sparking the “faked his death” thing all again.
Other psssessions 1/4 mile away... suggests he may have survived crash and tried to seek help. Bears and mountain lions up that way, Ive read
Or he died in the crash and scavengers scattered his remains. Coyotes ar much more abundant.
Well, does a controlled flight indicate “suicide”, an inability to see the mountain (heavy fog/weather) or “auto pilot” (if that plane had it)?
I guess we’ll have to hear more. Will local weather stations have conditions online for that date?
Thanks. I like it here!
Sadly no, but I remember when he disapeared the skies were mostly clear, with light winds, around Mammoth area.
They’ll be able to go back and dig up whatever the weather conditions were from reporting stations near the crash site, if there are any. Usually it’s either an automated reporting station, or the nearest airport, so it may be some distance away.
“Controlled flight into terrain” is a catch-all for any situation where the airplane was still under the control of the crew (autopilot or otherwise) and flew into the ground. It can mean any or all the things you listed, and then some.
The plane was a Bellanca (now American Champion) Decathlon, a two-seater light utility/aerobatic aircraft. I don’t know how old it was, but it probably did not have an autopilot. That’s just a guess though.
}:-)4
It’s pretty common to wear a chute in acrobatic aircraft although I’ve never heard that he had one with him the day of the flight. If he was just scouting/sight seeing he might not have bothered. Don’t know how steep it is at the crash site, has anyone heard the exact coordinates?
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