Fossett plane sighting another false lead

An interesting link,

But are the google images up-to-date?

Cheers

Yes, they've been updated, so we can help search.

Winfield hath wroth:

Google map of locations of known airplane crashes since 2003:

Check the database first. Minden NV airport is "MEV".

Minden is a long ways from Smith, in the wrong direction. There are no airports near the site I found, which is far to the east, near a few (poor) dry lake beds. According to my brother, who lives just out of Smith valley, there are few if any decent dry lake beds very close to the tiny Smith airstrip. It seems to me a Google Earth "flight" would have been better that a real one.

Winfield hath wroth:

Sorry, I'm just trying to be helpful. The only reason I mentioned Minden is that it's the closest "large" airport in the general area. In order for the database of known crashes to work, it needs a starting point, which "MEV" is as close as I can get. There are no known recent crashes near the location you mentioned.

The location does show a white smear, which does not look to me like an airplane. The Google ruler tool shows the diameter of the white smear at 19ft, which is the correct size. Whatever it is appears to be intact, with no debris surrounding the white smear. The trees in the area appear to be intact. However, there appears to be a 154 ft long white skid mark at about 100 degrees radiating from the white smear, which might be a landing skid mark. Methinks that's sufficient justification to call it in as a possible find.

I'm looking at your location. That looks more like a crashed jet, but who knows.

Anyway, how do can you tell that the image was taken after Fossett's disappearance?

Bob

Jeff Liebermann hath wroth:

I changed my mind after taking a closer look. If I rotate the image in 3D, the 154ft skid mark is actually the bottom of a ravine. See:

There also appear to be some buildings at 120 degrees at about 100ft. The ligher color of the ground surrounding the buildings indicates inhabitation.

Nice try.

Cool idea Win. I can't tell what that blip is, but it looks out of place, whatever it is.

Do they have older images of the same area? The new and old images could be subtracted, the changes thus highlighted emphasized, easing the search.

Cheers, James Arthur

Hey, how often ARE they updated?

Let's look for Osama in Pakistan/Afghanistan!

Michael

Google is already in on the search:

Fossett is probably dead. The emergency locator transmitter beacon can be activated manually as well as by a crash. The pilot can also disable it to prevent accidental activation during acrobatic maneuvers in the Bellanca. Any way you look at it, it's not a good sign that they haven't picked up this beacon. That little plane can really pull some g's, maybe he was playing around, suffered a heart attack, passed out, crashed hard and burned.

I know "planes" are "supposed" to have ELTs onboard and so on - but it seems to me - the news reported his particular craft was not equipped at his request. That he didn't take many of the things he normally should/would have. So, if that is the case - no sense waiting for a signal. And I heard those words in the same breath to say he was missing - and finding him may be difficult.

I haven't followed this story since it broke. Hearing what I did - initially (as stated above) all this chatter got me curious, so I searched the web. From what I have gathered, he was equipped, but the equipment wasn't activated. I've personally seen stories where the reporters have screwed up "badly" - making you wonder if you were seeing the same thing they were. So - I'm betting the reporters I heard - had some facts confused - like he "did" have equipment onboard - but not activated - for whatever reason. But I am "damned" sure the words were said he was "not" equipped. At hearing it, I thougth it was odd - knowing planes are normally equipped - unless speaking of an ultra-light or something. They really didn't even give the type of plane he was flying - in the story - leaving me wonder if maybe he was in an Ultra-light. I guess in their hurry to get the story out and "be first" they don't care for "facts".

I think it's not often at all, many years, but part of NV was, because of Steve Fossett's disappearance.

FWIW, they still show the I-35W bridge standing in Minneapolis. But, I suppose they'd take new pictures for some lost rich white guy.

Thanks, Rich

Funny!

You know, I was reading the news on the Fossett search, and when they first mentioned they found "old wreckage", I wondered why it wasn't looked into further. Any bodies? Find an ID in a wallet? Notify next-of-kin, at least...??? Nothing mentioned. Maybe it was done behind-the-scenes, but was not deemed newsworthy.

Sure, like you said, look for some lost rich guy. (Does he *have* to be white? What if Barack Obama went missing over Nevada... would the same search effort be exerted? Hmm...)

Michael

They are aerobatic maneuvers if you intend to do them, acrobatic if they are done unintentionally.

Any way you look at it, it's not a good sign that they haven't

Aerobatic category aircraft are designed for +6 -3 g load and design strength (before rivets start popping) is generally 150% of these numbers.

maybe

If he did, the resulting smoke column would have been called in as a potential "forest fire" within a few minutes of it happening. That column could have been seen as far away as Reno, Lake Tahoe, and other population centers.

Jim

Is there an offical 'search site' where one can submit results and select maps still needing searching?

yeah, it does make you wonder..... those planes missing for "years" - "Decades" even - and yet they seem not concerned. Hmmmmm. So - I wonder - if/when they find those wrecked planes, are they mapping them with a GPS reading for mapping purposes - as I had read someplace in Florida was mapping plane wrecks - even in Nevada.