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NEWS
RELEASE 1000 09 September 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Original release date: 04 September 2007
Searchers
Remain Hopeful for Famed Flyer
Minden, NV
– Day seven of the search effort for famed aviator Steve Fossett began this
morning. Air and ground crews from more than a dozen agencies continue to cover
western Nevada and eastern California to search for Fossett, who has been
missing since Monday.
While the search area has
expanded to nearly 17,000 square miles, a considerable amount of effort is being
concentrated in a 50 mile radius from the Flying M Ranch near Yerington, Nevada,
from where Fossett departed on what was expected to be a three-hour flight.
“Research has shown in
incidences of this type the aircraft is usually found with 50 miles of its home
base,” said Maj. Cynthia Ryan with the Civil Air Patrol, the official Air Force
Auxiliary.
Searchers remain hopeful, and
maximum resources from multiple agencies, including seven law enforcement
agencies, are being used for the search. The agencies are working under a
unified command structure in order to share and refine resources and coordinate
efforts.
“We are working very well
together,” Ryan said. “The agencies are communicating and cooperating
effectively together.”
Search efforts are hampered by
mixed terrain, including low altitude desert valleys and lakes and rugged
mountains. More than 200 ground personnel have been combing Nevada’s lands,
which are 87 percent publicly owned and managed by federal agencies.
Seven aircraft from Nevada,
California and Utah are involved with the search, as well as a sonar equipped
boat searching the waters of Walker Lake. More than 10,000 have been searched.
Fossett’s aircraft, the
Citabria Super Decathalong, was built in 1980 and is owned by the Flying M
Hunting Club, Inc., 10 miles south of Yerington, Nevada.
Importantly, it should be noted
that Hilton Flying M Ranch assets are working seamlessly with CAP and the other
participating agencies so that efforts are not duplicated and safety is
maintained at all times.
Since low altitude airborne
search and rescue is inherently risky, the emphasis is always on safety. Search
participants have been briefed on a variety of potential problems such as flying
mountainous terrain, radio procedures, turbulence, adverse weather and density
altitude issues. Today’s weather promises to be clear with little wind factors
until late afternoon.
Civil Air Patrol, the official
United States Air Force Auxiliary, is a nonprofit organization with more than
64,000 members nationwide. Volunteers perform search and rescue, homeland
security, disaster relief and counter drug missions at the request of federal,
state and local agencies. The members take a leading role in aerospace education
and serve as mentors to the almost 27,000 young people currently participating
in CAP cadet programs. CAP has performed missions for America for more than 60
years.
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MEDIA INQUIRIES:
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Maj.
Cynthia S. Ryan, Mission Information Officer, Nevada Wing, Civil Air Patrol.
NVWGCAPHQ: 775.358.3700, Cell: 775.8484.3072, land: 775.853.4057, email:
ladybird53@sbcglobal.net
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Trooper Chuck
Allen, PIO NV OEM 775.230.4921
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Bob Conrad,
communications office, NV Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources,
775.636.7959 email : bconrad@dcnr.nv.gov
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Capt. April
Conway, Nevada National Guard, 775.287.5592, email:
april.conway@nvreno.ang.af.mil
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Kim
Toulouse, NV Dept. of Wildlife, 775.848.0034 email:
Toulouse@ndow.org
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