Strong winds and turbulence made the adventurer Steve Fossett lose control of his small aircraft and plunge into a mountain in California.

An investigation concluded that his twin-seater craft was probably caught in the strong downdrafts notorious in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Mr Fossett, 63, vanished after setting out in September 2007 from a ranch in Nevada owned by the hotel magnate Barron Hilton. The wreckage and Mr Fossett’s remains were discovered more than a year later near Mammoth Lakes, after a hiker found an identification card.

Mr Fossett had told the ranch’s chief pilot that he did not intend to wear a parachute, the report from the National Transportation Safety Board said.

Mr Fossett, who made a fortune in the Chicago commodities market, gained worldwide fame for setting records in high-tech balloons, gliders, jets and boats. In 2002 he became the first person to circle the world solo in a balloon.

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