Steve Fossett

Fossett in 2004

James Stephen Fossett (April 22, 1944 – September 3, 2007) was an American businessman and a record-setting aviator, sailor and adventurer. In 2002, he became the first balloonist to circumnavigate the world alone. In 2005, he completed the first nonstop global flight in an airplane by himself. He was also known for his friendship with billionaire Richard Branson. Branson's Virgin Group sponsored some of Fossett's adventures.

Fossett was born in Jackson, Tennessee. He grew up in Garden Grove, California. He attended Washington University in St. Louis and Stanford University. In 1968, Fossett married Peggy Fossett (née Viehland), originally from Richmond Heights, Missouri. The couple had homes in Beaver Creek, Colorado, Chicago, Illinois and Carmel, California.

On September 3, 2007, Fossett went missing while flying a light aircraft over the Great Basin Desert. A year later, in September 2008, a hiker found some of Fossett's belongings in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, California. This lead to the discovery of his aircraft and some of his remains.

Steve Fossett Media

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  Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer arriving at Kennedy Space Center in 2006, piloted by Fossett

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  Spirit of Freedom balloon gondola on display at the National Air and Space Museum

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  Fossett at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility seated in the GlobalFlyer cockpit

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  Fossett in 2006 before his record-breaking flight

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  A 1998 attempt at an around-the-world balloon flight by Fossett, Richard Branson and Per Lindstrand ends in the Pacific Ocean on December 25

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  Spirit of America Sonic Arrow at Wings Over the Rockies

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  Super Decathlon, similar to the plane Fossett was flying during his disappearance

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  Aerial view of the crash site, 2010

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  The crash site is on Volcanic Ridge, part of the Ritter Range. Volcanic Ridge is shown here, in the left foreground.