Steve Fossett, the adventurer who cheated death several times during his perambulations around the globe by air and sea, was missing on Tuesday night after taking off from a ranch in Nevada for a short flight in a single-engine plane.

Rescue teams were scouring the rugged terrain of western Nevada on Tuesday for a plane wreck or any other trace of Mr Fossett, a millionaire aviator made famous for his quest to break world records.

Mr Fossett, 63, who is the first person to circle the world solo in a balloon, took off from the Flying M ranch, on Monday morning on what was supposed to be a brief recreational flight. He was last seen heading south on a clear morning. As night drew near, 13 aircraft as well as ground crew were scouring the desert for the blue and white Citabria Super Decathlon he was piloting. Rescue teams were deployed from the national guard, the local navy station, and the California highway patrol.

By Mr Fossett’s standards, Monday’s flight was just a short hop — the most routine of journeys. Recently, he had made a career of setting standards in adventure travel, sometime in collaboration with his friend and patron, Richard Branson.

Sir Richard said: “Steve is a tough old boot. I suspect he is waiting by his plane right now for someone to pick him up”.