The search for missing American adventurer Steve Fossett enters a fifth day Friday, after authorities expanded the search area in the western U.S. state of Nevada.
Officials with the state's Civil Air Patrol and National Guard have dispatched several airplanes outfitted with special imaging equipment, as well a handful of ground crews. They increased the search area in the mountainous, remote region Thursday to 26,000 square kilometers.
Fossett disappeared Monday after taking off in a small airplane from a private airstrip. The 63-year-old millionaire was looking for a location to stage an attempt to break the world's land speed record.
Although no signal from his emergency equipment has been detected, rescuers are still optimistic they will find him alive, noting he has survived numerous close calls during his adventures.
The former securities trader is well known for his record-setting adventures in balloons, sailboats, gliders and powered aircraft.
In 2002, Fossett became the first person to fly solo around the world in a balloon. In 2005, he set the record as the first person to fly an airplane solo around the world without refueling.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
