Saguaro
02-15-2008, 10:09 PM
CHICAGO -- A judge in Chicago declared millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett legally dead Friday, five months after his plane disappeared over the Nevada desert.
Fossett vanished in September after taking off in a light plane, and a long search produced no trace of him.
A Cook County judge heard testimony Friday from Fossett's wife, Peggy, and a family friend as well as a search-and-rescue expert before deciding there was sufficient evidence to declare him dead.
Fossett earned millions of dollars trading futures and options on Chicago exchanges.
Attorneys representing his estate had filed a petition to have him declared legally dead so his assets could be distributed according to his will.
Fossett was a record-setting balloonist, sailor and pilot who completed nonstop flights around the world.
Fossett's plane, a Bellanca Citabria Super Decathlon, carried a locator that sends a satellite signal after a rough landing, but officials couldn't pick up any locator signals from the plane or radio communication after he disappeared.
Fossett took off alone the morning of Sept. 3, 2007, from an airstrip about 70 miles southeast of Reno, Nev. A friend reported him missing when he didn't return at a scheduled time.
Sir Richard Branson, the British billionaire who has helped finance many of Fossett's adventures, said the 63-year-old millionaire was searching for places for an upcoming attempt to break the land speed record in a car.
Fossett's Records
In 2002, Fossett became the first person to fly around the world alone in a balloon, after five previous attempts.
In March 2005, he became the first person to fly a plane solo around the world without refueling.
He and a co-pilot also claim to have set a world glider altitude record of 50,671 feet during a flight in August 2006 over the Andes Mountains.
Fossett has climbed some of the world's tallest peaks, including the Matterhorn in Switzerland and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. He also swam the English Channel in 1985, placed 47th in the Iditarod dog sled race in 1992 and participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans car race in 1996.
In 1995, Fossett became the first person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon, landing in Leader, Saskatchewan, Canada.
He was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in July 2007.
Fossett and his wife have a home in Beaver Creek, Colo.
http://www.kctv5.com/news/15315904/detail.html
Fossett vanished in September after taking off in a light plane, and a long search produced no trace of him.
A Cook County judge heard testimony Friday from Fossett's wife, Peggy, and a family friend as well as a search-and-rescue expert before deciding there was sufficient evidence to declare him dead.
Fossett earned millions of dollars trading futures and options on Chicago exchanges.
Attorneys representing his estate had filed a petition to have him declared legally dead so his assets could be distributed according to his will.
Fossett was a record-setting balloonist, sailor and pilot who completed nonstop flights around the world.
Fossett's plane, a Bellanca Citabria Super Decathlon, carried a locator that sends a satellite signal after a rough landing, but officials couldn't pick up any locator signals from the plane or radio communication after he disappeared.
Fossett took off alone the morning of Sept. 3, 2007, from an airstrip about 70 miles southeast of Reno, Nev. A friend reported him missing when he didn't return at a scheduled time.
Sir Richard Branson, the British billionaire who has helped finance many of Fossett's adventures, said the 63-year-old millionaire was searching for places for an upcoming attempt to break the land speed record in a car.
Fossett's Records
In 2002, Fossett became the first person to fly around the world alone in a balloon, after five previous attempts.
In March 2005, he became the first person to fly a plane solo around the world without refueling.
He and a co-pilot also claim to have set a world glider altitude record of 50,671 feet during a flight in August 2006 over the Andes Mountains.
Fossett has climbed some of the world's tallest peaks, including the Matterhorn in Switzerland and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. He also swam the English Channel in 1985, placed 47th in the Iditarod dog sled race in 1992 and participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans car race in 1996.
In 1995, Fossett became the first person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon, landing in Leader, Saskatchewan, Canada.
He was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in July 2007.
Fossett and his wife have a home in Beaver Creek, Colo.
http://www.kctv5.com/news/15315904/detail.html