Tuesday's search yielded no trace of pilot Stephen Fossett or
theCitabria he flew from the Flying M Ranch about 9 a.m. Monday, but
the search is ongoing and officials are hopeful. .
"He's been known to walk out 30 miles after an incident," said Cynthia
Ryan, information officer for the Nevada wing of the Civil Air Patrol.
"He's savvy and determined. We give him the highest odds."
Fossett had no emergency or survival gear in the plane, Ryan said.
Officials are searching a 600-square-mile area bordered approximately
by Yerington to the north and and the Mammoth airport to the south, 75
miles to the east of Yerington and 100 miles west of that point.
Three-man crews have flown almost 22 man-hours in Cessna 182s for the
search, complemented by two Air National Guard helicopters and a C-130
equipped with special infrared imaging equipment used in the Katrina
aftermath, officials said.
The C-130 and helicopters will complete today's search about 11 p.m,
and Civil Air Patrol planes will come in at sunset. The search will
resume in the morning, according to officials.
The California and Nevada highway patrols and California Civil Air
Patrol are helping with the search, said April Conway, spokeswoman for
the Air National Guard.
