Fossett Died in Crash: Calif. DNA Report

Plane didn't malfunction, NTSB investigators conclude

(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. More»

(NEWSER) - A former attorney for Caylee Anthony's grandparents says investigators think the remains of a young child found near her home belong to the missing 3-year-old, the Orlando Sentinel reports. But a lawyer for the Sherriff’s Department said they have not yet made even a tentative identification of the body. The judge in Anthony’s murder case also denied the defense a request to be present when the body is examined. More»

(NEWSER) - Steve Fossett took his last, fatal flight into the Sierra Nevada mountains last year because he unconsciously wanted to die, a friend of his said yesterday. Will Hasley, who helped Fossett write a memoir 2 years ago, believes the aviation pioneer was guilt-ridden over marital and financial problems before the crash. "He believed it was time for him to go," Hasley told the Daily Mail. More»

Calif. man fields thanks from Branson before fleeing spotlight

(NEWSER) - The widow of adventurer Steve Fossett, whose wrecked plane was found this week in the Sierra Nevada mountains, reached out personally yesterday to the hiker who played the key role in the discovery, the LA Times reports. Peggy Fossett thanked outdoorsman and sporting-goods salesman Preston Morrow for the chance to “bring to closure a very painful chapter in my life.” More»

Authorities hope to identify missing millionaire adventurer

(NEWSER) - Searchers have found human remains in the wreckage of missing adventurer Steve Fossett's plane, Reuters reports. No official confirmation has come yet, but the find is all but sure to end the mystery of Fossett's disappearance more than a year ago on a solo flight from Nevada. His plane, along with money and documents such as Fossett's pilot license, had been found earlier on the remote California mountain. More»