Sheriff: Plane Wreckage Found in California Is Steve Fossett's

Mountain flying, especially near the ridge line, presents a unique danger; to all types or size of aircraft.

From:

Efforts Renew to Understand Dangers of Mountain Flying.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0UBT/is_14_20/ai_n16117184

-excerpt-

Mountain waves, which in form are something like the waves at a sea shore, result from oncoming air coming against a mountain's face that is then forced up and over the crest. On the other side, gravity suddenly pulls the air down and the waves form. Rotors develop right below the waves, and resemble a whirlwind or vortex tilted to the horizontal.

But little is known so far about the “whys and hows” of rotor formation, Grubisic tells Air Safety Week. T-REX will be an important step in understanding these phenomena better, but much more research probably will remain to be done after the current project is over.

In aviation, mountain waves and rotors have long been recognized as significant dangers. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau cites a 1968 incident when a BOAC Boeing 707 was ripped apart by a mountain wave as the craft flew near Mt. Fuji in Japan. Also, in 1968, a Fairchild F-27B lost parts of its wings and empennage, and a Douglas DC-8 lost an engine and wingtip in 1992, in wave-related accidents.

Rotors, specifically, have been cited as contributors to accidents in commercial, military, and general aviation (GA), Grubisic says. Experienced pilots know about them and avoid them. But rotors and waves remain particularly dangerous to pilots who are unaware of them.

As the FAA has aptly put it, “Your first experience flying over mountainous terrain (particularly if most of your flight time has been over the flatlands of the Midwest) could be a never-to-be forgotten nightmare [italics in original] if proper planning is not done and if you are not aware of the potential hazards.”

I'm just saying...

From Yahoo News:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081002/ap_on_re_us/fossett_search

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“I remember the day he crashed, there were large thunderheads over the peaks around us,” Mono County Undersheriff Ralph Obenberger said, gesturing to the mountains flanking Mammoth Lakes.

My comment:

Onenberger couldn't possibly know whether he crashed or not, unless he was omniscient... I think he might have meant to say “I remember the day he went missing”.

Thanks-

I'm building a STOL experimental aircraft, and I will be relocating from the Midwest to a mountainous region in the southwest, once the build is complete.

I've taken a keen interest in what those ridge lines can do to airplanes. “SNAP”

You've provided a stunning image, depicting extremely ferocious/dangerous weather, interacting with the ridge line. The telltale sign, is the straight line clouds that appear as jet contrails or appear as smoke from a ground fire.

This picture IS worth a thousand words.

S. F., ‘may’ have been driven into the side of the mountain, by this kind of weather condition (ridge line turbulence creating wind waves/wind rotors).

I don't think he flew into the mountain intentionally, nor do I believe he faked his death. His inability to change his final flight path, points to an unintentional action.

There is always the possibility of a severe health issue, incapacitating the pilot, and preventing him from taking corrective action.

Without a more or less complete body to autopsy, we'll likely never know the exact cause for the crash (other than the sudden stop factor). ;0)

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