The Preliminary National Transportation Safety Board accident report on the missing (since 3 September 2007) N240R, a 1980 Bellanca 8KCAB Super Decathlon piloted by World multi-record holder Steve Fossett presumes his death, reporting one fatal. Fossett disappeared while flying near Yerington, NV after taking off on a planned three hour flight from the Flying M Ranch Strip of Barron Hilton and did not return. Search was launched using high-tech optical imaging device, among other techniques, and eight prior crash sites of varying times of crash were found as a result that had not been prior-found. The Fossett Bellanca had six hours duration fuel, and no flight plane was filed. No ELT activation was reported from N240R.
Extensive search over a 20,000 square mile area of mountainous terrain was conducted by three state Civil Air Patrols from Nevada, California and Utah, plus other official assets, including military.
A Temporary Flight Restriction for the search area was placed by the FAA because of excessive unauthorized private aircraft joining the search presumably for reward money. There is an Internet-Based Search Reward of $10,000 apparently still offered, that would require use of Internet resources such as satellite map study of the area, to claim the reward. See: www.YouChoose.net and www.NTSB.gov