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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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Turbulence Blamed for Fossett Crash

Plane didn't malfunction, NTSB investigators conclude

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(Newser) – Investigators have determined that the crash that killed Steve Fossett was most likely caused by sudden turbulence, the BBC reports. An NTSB probe concluded that there was no malfunction with the adventurer's plane, and that an "inadvertent encounter with downdrafts" caused him to lose control of his aircraft in the September 2007 crash.

Downdrafts of "at least 400 feet per minute" yanked Fossett's plane downward during the flight over the Sierra Nevada mountains, according to investigators. Their probe determined that the plane was still traveling at a high speed when it hit the ground, scattering wreckage over a wide area. No trace of Fossett was found until more than a year after the crash.

Adventurer Steve Fossett's remains were not found until more than a year after his plane crashed in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Adventurer Steve Fossett's remains were not found until more than a year after his plane crashed in the Sierra Nevada mountains.   (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
Pilot Steve Fossett walks across a windy runway in this 2005 photo.
Pilot Steve Fossett walks across a windy runway in this 2005 photo.   (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
Wreckage from the fuselage from Steve Fossett's plane.
Wreckage from the fuselage from Steve Fossett's plane.   (AP Photo/Madera County Sheriff's Department)
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kokuaguy
Jul 10, 09 4:24 AM CDT
Please forgive me for high jacking this thread to congratulate all concerned for the outstanding discussion on the "swim club" thread which I finally found a few minutes to look at this evening-- yes it's still evening here. I have one individual in mind whose zeal as a debater I have been critical of in the past. You know who your are. You make me proud to be a member of the "newser loser" social club and 12 step program. PS- my contribution at the end should not be interpreted as expressing an opinion one way or the other about the "facts on the ground" or the underlying circumstances. I simply felt that Dr. Ford's book which I've heard him discuss on C-Span would be helpful to analysis of the relevant issues. I look forward to a longer report on it in a publication such as Harper's or the Atlantic. Reply
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