John Denver

[Mishetta]

I heard his plane ran out of gas?

 

[Lars624]

this thread inspired me............I pulled out a greatest hits CD Rocky Mountain High is on right now

 

[sorcerormickey]

We have his Muppets Christmas album, and always have it playing around the holidays. So sad to lose him.

 

[alabamaalan]

And did you know he was a sniper in Vietnam?

Of course that's not true, but it is one of my favorite celebrity urban legends. (Along with the same story about Fred Rogers!)

I always liked the fact that a muppet had been created that looked like him when he was a guest on the show.

 

[Towncrier]

John Denver crash report points to fuel problems
Web posted on: Tuesday, June 23, 1998 12:55:57 PM

MONTEREY, California (CNN) -- The plane crash that killed singer-songwriter John Denver could have been caused by several factors related to the amount of fuel in the plane when it went down in the Pacific Ocean during a practice flight off the California coast, according to a report by the National Transportation Safety Board released Monday.

While drawing no firm conclusions, the NTSB report stated that Denver's homemade Long E-Z plane was almost certainly low on fuel when -- according to witnesses -- it sputtered, nosedived and crashed 150 yards from shore. The report also said that the plane's fuel selector handle -- which switches the fuel flow to a backup tank -- was in a hard-to-reach location, making it difficult for the pilot to reach it and make a switch if the primary tank ran dry.

Denver, known for such popular 1970s hits as "Rocky Mountain High," "Take Me Home, Country Roads," and "Sunshine On My Shoulders," died in the October 12 crash. A five-member NTSB board will study the report to determine a probable cause for the accident.

Low on fuel

The report says fueling records show that the plane was most likely low on fuel when Denver took off from the Monterey Peninsula Airport in the late afternoon to practice takeoffs and landings.

Denver bought the plane the day before the crash. After he bought the plane, but prior to the crash, the plane had been flown 100 miles from Santa Maria to Monterey, and then flown on the day of the crash. Investigators said that activity would have used 12 to 17 gallons of gas, but the last known quantity on board was 15 gallons before the test flight. There was no record of Denver refueling the plane.

Furthermore, it would have been difficult for Denver to tell if he was out of gas because the fuel gauges in the Long E-Z are visible only from the seat behind the pilot's. A mechanic at the Monterey airport did give Denver a mirror so he could try to see the gauges from the pilot's seat. The mirror was recovered in the wreckage.

Flaw in design?

But even if Denver had known that his fuel levels were running low in one tank, it would have been awkward for him to switch to the other tank. Plans for the Long E-Z call for the fuel selector handle to be located between the pilot's legs. But in this case, the plane's builder, Adrian Davis Jr., had installed the tank switch behind the pilot's left shoulder because, he said, he did not want fuel in the cockpit.

As constructed, Denver, an experienced pilot, would have had to remove his safety belts, take his right hand off the control stick and turn in his seat in order to switch from one fuel tank to another. That maneuver, as tested by NTSB officials, takes six to eight seconds.

"Two pilots shared experiences of having inadvertently run a fuel tank dry with near catastrophic consequences because of the selector and (fuel) gauge locations," the report said.

No medical certificate

On the day of the crash, Denver and a maintenance technician talked about the inaccessibility of the handle. They tried to install a pair of vice grips to make the handle longer and easier to reach, but the effort failed.

The report also confirmed that Denver lacked an aviation medical certificate -- a requirement for a valid pilot's license -- at the time of the crash.

The Federal Aviation Administration had disqualified Denver for the certificate in March 1997, after learning that he had violated a previous FAA order to abstain from drinking. An autopsy showed no signs of alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash.

 

[DiznEeyore]

Originally posted by alabamaalan
And did you know he was a sniper in Vietnam?

Of course that's not true, but it is one of my favorite celebrity urban legends. (Along with the same story about Fred Rogers!)

Um, I assume that was directed at me? No need to be snippy. I can't imagine why you'd think it was an urban legend. This was years ago, I have no reason to believe my boss was a liar.

 

[Judy from Boise]

I am a huge JD fan ! I was always going to have "For baby for Bobby" sung at my wedding.....but we just ran out of time !

JD was the first concert i ever went to.....7th grade the "Back home again " tour in 74 or 75. I almost always have one of his CD's on the player

 

[alabamaalan]

Sorry, that message was not directed at anyone! In fact, I looked through the thread first to make sure no one had said that oft-told story before I mentioned it.

I assume it must have been something you brought up before and someone had responded to.

If so, I had never seen anyone mention this on the DIS, so it was not my intention to correct anyone.

It was just something often told about John Denver, so I thought I would throw it in.

 

[Tiggeroo]

LOL, I really am clueless. I never heard the sniper rumour. I am glad to realize that alcohol wasn't involved. Even at the time of his death, he still looked like the country teenager, so young an clean looking. I remember being so sad at the end of his marriage, because of the song - Annie's song. How wonderful it must have been to have a man sing that about you.

 

[DiznEeyore]

Originally posted by alabamaalan
Sorry, that message was not directed at anyone! In fact, I looked through the thread first to make sure no one had said that oft-told story before I mentioned it.

I assume it must have been something you brought up before and someone had responded to.

If so, I had never seen anyone mention this on the DIS, so it was not my intention to correct anyone.

It was just something often told about John Denver, so I thought I would throw it in.

My apologies -- I shouldn't have assumed. I'd never heard it from anyone but my boss (like I said, this was years ago -- 12 or 13 -- pre-internet days) but if it's often-told, perhaps in this case it's true? As I said, her bro did do work on JD's home, and I can't imagine why she'd make it up. But that sniper one was a new one on me.

 

[Big V]

I loved JD's music! I learned how to play all of his songs on the guitar. I would sit for hours and hours practicing his songs!

 

[Poohbear123]

its been 5 years since his death... I still get choked up when a song of his comes over the radio. My Mom had to go far and wide to find me the "Rocky Mountain High" album, it sold a LOT!

 

[grinningghost]

I've been a JD fan since I was a kid and songs like "Annie's Song" were at the top of the charts. My personal favorite is "Calypso" - that song can bring tears to my eyes. I miss him.

 

[MerryPoppins]

I loved his music, too. I saw him in concert 3 different times and planned to take my kids the next time he visited Oklahoma City. Unfortunately, he never came again.

I did read his autobiography after his death. He had a lot of problems in his lifetime, including drinking too much. I think his waning popularity was really hard for him, although he packed the house the last time I saw a concert about a year before he died.

I got the feeling that part of him always loved Annie. I saw a tearful interview with her after he died, and I think she really cared about him, too. They did have a rocky marriage, and he must have had quite a temper. He tells in his book that he took a chain saw to something (I seem to remember their bed).

I can't pick a favorite song. There are too many. The beautiful way he had of expressing himself always touched my heart. I still listen to a lot of his music.

 

[Sheree Bobbins]

Add me to the list of die-hard fans! I loved John Denver's music and played Annie's Song at many a wedding on piano or organ. His music just simply "spoke" to me in a way no one else's has. It was very sad when he died, by the way, Monterey is one of the most beautiful places on earth. When I passed by the crash site in Pacific Grove this summer, I thought of John Denver. I sensed in his last years a growing discontent with his waning popularity. I wonder if it was related to alcohol. And, there was foreshadowing in his death, as he had had at least 1 car accident related to alcohol consumption, I seem to recall.

Thanks Towncrier for a definitive article about his death and the plane. If I hear a John Denver song now, unexpectedly on the radio, you can be sure that a tear comes to my eye.

 

[MERLINM]

I saw John Denver when I was a college student back in the 60's. It was before he went out on his own and was still with The Mitchell Trio. He got the spotlight for three or four songs (none of his own) and displayed his virtuosity on the 12 string guitar. It was a performance I'll always remember.