Fossett Had 'Subconscious Death Wish'

Steve Fossett took his last, fatal flight into the Sierra Nevada mountains last year because he unconsciously wanted to die, a friend of his said yesterday. Will Hasley, who helped Fossett write a memoir 2 years ago, believes the aviation pioneer was guilt-ridden over marital and financial problems before the crash. "He believed it was time for him to go," Hasley told the Daily Mail.

"‘I am not saying Steve deliberately set out that day to commit suicide," Hasley said. "I believe he went up in the plane to contemplate his life. He was deeply conflicted. His wife Peggy wanted him to spend more time at home and to stop risking his life and he was torn between his love for her and his love for adventure."
(More Steve Fossett stories.)