debris. and as randi kaye reports, it would not be the first time. >> reporter: steve fossett takes off, heading south in a single engine airplane. he promises to be back for lunch, but that is the last time anyone sees him. >> the best way to characterize this is like looking for a needle in a haystack. >> reporter: within hours, the search is under way. the terrain is rugged, the wilderness between nevada and eastern california is vast. the did that plane have like the equivalent of a black box? >> it has an elt, a locater system that can be picked up by satellites. >> reporter: radar picks up the plane's track along the crest of the sierra nevada mountains, following the trail fossett hiked as a teen. >> before they could really