CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A fuel leak, soaring heat in the cockpit and weak winds jeopardized adventurer Steve Fossett’s quest to break aviation’s distance record Thursday as he flew over Asia in his lightweight experimental plane.
Fossett’s team had calculated that he would have 500 pounds to 1,000 pounds of fuel left at the end of the 31/2-day trip, but the loss of 750 pounds of fuel to a leak during takeoff at the Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday left no margin for error, the team said on the second day of the voyage.
“The fuel loss will diminish the total number of miles it is able to travel,” mission control director Kevin Stass said.
Before takeoff, the spindly plane had more than 18,000 pounds of fuel.
Fossett’s team could not immediately pinpoint the cause of the leak. Fuel leaks delayed his takeoff and also plagued Fossett’s successful flight last year when he became the first person to fly solo, nonstop around the world without refueling.
His team also was seeking clearance for a different route because of soaring temperatures in the cockpit and concerns about weak winds over the Atlantic during the last leg of the trip. The plane’s ventilation system was malfunctioning, causing the temperatures to rise to as much as 130 degrees. Fossett was forced to drink a large part of his water supply earlier than planned because of the heat, the team said.
Fossett’s goal is a nearly 27,000-mile trip – once around the world and then across the Atlantic again – with a landing Saturday outside London.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
