Park Staff Assist In Fossett Aircraft Crash Recovery Operation
On October 1st, a hiker contacted the Mono County Sheriff’s Department and showed officers a pilot’s license and about $1,000 in cash that he’d found scattered on the ground while hiking in the Inyo National Forest near Devils Post Pile NM. The license belonged to Steve Fossett, the noted American businessman and adventurer who disappeared just over a year ago while flying a Bellanca Super Decathalon airplane from a private airstrip just over the border in Nevada. The discovery sparked resurgence in the search for Fossett, who had intended on taking only a short flight in the Decathalon and had not filed any flight plan. A huge search had been conducted for him, but no trace of his aircraft was found and the search was eventually suspended. Yosemite was asked to provide mutual aid assistance in the search for the plane, and ranger Matt Stark located the crash site from the park’s Helicopter 551 around 6 p.m.
The landing zone providing access to the accident site was in alpine terrain at over 10,200 feet, limiting the type of helicopter that could safely operate there. On October 2nd and 3rd, the National Park Service again supplied Helicopter 551 and personnel for the recovery operation. Park staff helped the Madera County Sheriff’s Department with the recovery of Fossett’s remains and assisted the NTSB investigator. They also helped Inyo National Forest personnel with the removal and cleanup of the accident site, which is in a designated wilderness.
