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Searchers Find No Sign Of Fossett

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The Associated Press

Published: September 7, 2007

MINDEN, Nev. - Search teams dramatically expanded their hunt for adventurer Steve Fossett to encompass 10,000 square miles of rugged mountains and desert Thursday after nearly four discouraging days yielded no trace of his single-engine plane.

'As you can imagine, trying to make that needle stand out in a haystack that big is going to be a real challenge,' Nevada Civil Air Patrol Maj. Cynthia Ryan said. 'It's going to be frustrating for a lot of people who were hoping for results early on.'

Ten airplanes and helicopters made repeated passes over a search area the size of Massachusetts that is known for its 10,000-foot peaks, strong winds and unrelenting harshness.

Despite the massive search, there have been only a few false leads and no signals from the emergency locator beacon aboard Fossett's Bellanca Citabria Super Decathlon.

The best hope was that the world-famous adventurer used his long-proven survival skills to stay alive, rationing food and water in the plane.

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