Fossett declared legally dead

CHICAGO — Millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett, who risked his life seeking to set records in high-tech balloons, gliders and jets, was declared dead Friday, 5 months after he vanished while flying in a small plane.

The self-made business tycoon, who in 2002 became the first person to circle the world solo in a balloon, was last seen Sept. 3 after taking off in a single-engine plane from an airstrip near Yerington, Nev., heading toward Bishop, Calif. He was 63.

At the request of his wife, Peggy Fossett, a judge declared Fossett legally dead in Cook County Circuit Court as a step toward resolving his estate.