MikeLigalig.com

Search teams are continuing to scour the deserts of north-west Nevada for missing US pilot Steve Fossett amid increasing fears for his safety.

There has been no word from Mr Fossett since the 63-year-old was seen taking off from a private airfield near Yerington, Nevada, on Monday evening.

Members of the US National Guard and helicopters with thermal imaging technology have joined the operation.

Authorities say it could take a week to cover the search area.

Adam Mayberry, a local pilot and former spokesman for the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, suggested Mr Fossett's single-engine Citabria may have been hit by treacherous winds.

"There's been times when I've been flying in the wind and my blood turns cold," Mr Mayberry said.

source: news.bbc.co.uk