Gay Jones

The plane crash that killed John Denver. On October 12, 1997, John Denver took off from the airport in Monterey, California, piloting an experimental Long-EZ he had just purchased and in which he had logged only a couple of hours of flight time. He was a pilot with nearly 2,750 hours of experience, but that aircraft had a critical modification, the fuel selector, which was supposed to be between the pilot’s legs, had been relocated behind his left shoulder, with no markings to indicate the positions. Minutes after takeoff, the engine began to sputter due to a lack of fuel. To switch tanks, Denver had to release the controls and turn his body almost completely backward, in a maneuver that the subsequent investigation deemed virtually impossible to perform in mid-flight. The plane lost control near Pacific Grove, pitched up, veered sharply, and crashed into the Pacific Ocean. Denver died instantly at the age of 53, bringing to a close the life of the man behind some of the most iconic songs in country music history.