Steve Fossett lost

Amelia Earhart disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean in 1937, during an attempt to make a circumnavigational flight. She was declared dead 18 months later.



Steve Fossett planned to break the land speed record. He departed on Monday 8:45 East of Lake Tahoe, Nevada. You can try to find him on Google Earth, assuming that the software contains the newest satellite images taken on Monday afternoon or so.

Unfortunately, he might be joining Amelia Earhart. You may offer your theories what has happened. A few options:

1. He crashed somewhere, forgot to turn on his radio system, is dead, and will be found (1a: on the land, 1b: in the lake) somewhere, for example in a bush off a trail just west of the town of Mammoth Lakes, California.
2. He crashed somewhere, survived, drinks water, and is waiting for help.
3. No accident has occurred at all, he's hiding somewhere in order to get a lot publicity and some collaborators in his company help him to do so; later, he will make fun out of us.
4. Because of a crime or huge debt or another legally controversial act, Fossett wanted to change his identity: he needed his old identity to disappear. He has placed 3 ID's of himself near Mammoth Lakes, California. I would recommend him to add a sweater and USD 1,000 so that the hikers who will find it will notice that there is something special going on here even if they are stupid.
   
5. He is secretly visiting his mistress and the plane is carefully hidden.
6. He has committed suicide in such a way that no one will find the plane or his body for years.
   
   
   
   
   
7. Richard Branson told him by cell phone: "Steve, you look just like Rush Limbaugh. But right now, we need to stop using fossil fuels. What can you do for us?" And Fossett stopped using fossil fuels.
8. Fossett's plane was kidnapped by Islamic terrorists, hidden somewhere, and will be used for attacks next Tuesday, on 9/11.
9. His airplane had additional jets and Fossett is in the middle of a space flight.
10. He was swallowed by the wormhole whose other throat ends up in the Bermuda Triangle.
11. His plane collided with the B-52 stuffed with nuclear warheads that flew over several U.S. states; Pentagon is silent because people could get nervous that 3 million Americans died.
12. Something even more reasonable or insane that you will write in the comments. ;-)

At any rate, I wish him that either 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 is right.

Update: His plane was found in October 2008