Rescue crews are in the air searching for the plane of aviation adventurer Steve Fossett, who disappeared after takeoff Monday night.

Fossett, 63, was last seen in a single engine plane heading south of Smith Valley, Nev., from a private airstrip, Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Western-Pacific region of the Federal Aviation Administration, told FOXNews.com.

Fossett departed at 8:45 a.m. Monday from the Flying M Ranch in Yerington, Nevada, but did not file a flight plan so it is unknown where he was going.

Fossett planned to fly over a number of lake beds, to find possible sites for his planned attempt on the world land speed record.

Thirteen aircraft are now searching for the blue and white Citabria Super Decathlon plane. There is no indication as to why a signal has not been received from the plane’s emergency beacon.

Originally posted by makeitso


Thanks for the map John. I've been using this interactive map to look around, but google earth would probably be even better I suppose. Relying on your knowledge of the area, perhaps you know of some dry lakebeds around there that he may have gone to look at to set a new record? One that may be within the hour or two timeframe he was expected back?

In late 2006, Fossett said he planned to smash the 763 mph record, rocketing up to 800 mph in a jet-powered vehicle on the Black Rock Desert. The effort was to be based in Reno.

The current land-speed record was set in 1997 in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert by Britain’s Andy Green, driving the twin-turbojet powered Thrust SSC.

The car Fossett was touting is a dart-shaped, 47-foot-long, 9,000-pound vehicle. Power is provided by a single, after-burning J-79 turbojet developing 22,650 pounds of thrust, formerly fitted to a USAF F-4 Phantom fighter-bomber.