Adventure Aviator Steve Fossett and Aircraft Reported Missing - KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock

Adventure Aviator Steve Fossett and Aircraft Reported Missing

Federal aviation officials say a plane carrying aviation adventurer Steve Fossett has been missing since Monday night.

In 2002, Fossett became the first person to fly around the world alone in a balloon. Three years later, he became the first person to fly a plane solo around the world without refueling.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, he took off in a single-engine plane from a private airstrip in western Nevada Monday and didn't return as scheduled. A friend reported him missing.

Federal authorities say their search is complicated because Fossett apparently didn't file a flight plan.

Search crews are covering hundreds of miles of rugged terrain. A Nevada Aviation spokesperson says three crews are already in the air, and more are on the way.

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