Branson pays tribute to his friend Steve Fossett after searchers find the
wreckage Fossett's airplane in California.

MAMMOTH LAKES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 2, 2008) NBC
California's Madera County Sheriff John Anderson said Thursday
(October 2) that a wrecked plane found in the Inyo National Forest near
Mammoth Lakes, late Wednesday night (October 1), was the single-engine
Bellanca plane which adventurer Steve Fossett was flying when he disappeared.

Anderson said ground crews were sent to verify the initial aerial
sighting of the wreckage and they confirmed it was Fossett's plane.
The discovery came more than a year after Fossett disappeared during a
solo flight, when a hiker found some belongings which may belong to the
missing millionaire.
Anderson said that 50 rescuers have been dispatched Thursday morning to
try and find any of Fossett's remains while the National Transportation Safety
Board will investigate what caused the crash.
Anderson also said that no human remains were found in the wreckage.
Most of the plane's fuselage disintegrated on impact, and the engine was
found several hundred feet away, Anderson added.
Fossett was declared legally dead in February by Illinois judge Jeffery
Malak.
From his home in the British Virgin Islands, former rival and fellow
adventurer Richard Branson said he is grateful that Fossett's family can get
some closure.
"He led an extraordinary, absolutely remarkable life. Now, we can
remember him for what he was and move on," said Branson.