Experts say they have Fossett's remains

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- California authorities say they've now found significant skeletal remains near the crash site of millionaire aviator and adventurer Steve Fossett.

The remains have been sent to a state forensics lab for DNA confirmation, the results of which are expected early next week, said Madera County Sheriff John Anderson.

A search team led by Anderson's deputies found the bones Wednesday when they revisited the 10,000-foot elevation crash site near Mammoth Lakes, The San Francisco Chronicle reported Saturday, noting tests on four tiny bone fragments found last month had proved inconclusive.

The wreckage of Fossett's plane was found last month -- just more than a year after he vanished while flying a borrowed plane, the Chronicle reported. The private plane had slammed into a granite wall in an area known for violent wind patterns.

Searchers Wednesday also found a pair of tennis shoes, credit cards and Fossett's Illinois driver's license.