Federal investigators say low fuel, a hard-to-reach handle to switch gas tanks and modifications to John Denver's homemade airplane are among possible causes of the crash that killed the singer.
A report by the National Transportation Safety Board also confirmed that Denver lacked an aviation medical certificate - a requirement for a valid pilot's license - at the time of the crash.The report, released Monday, wraps up the fact-finding phase of the safety board's investigation into the crash, which occurred last Oct. 12 off the California coast. The five-member board will use the report to determine the probable cause of the accident.
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. Denver, a 53-year-old singer-songwriter famous for such hits as "Rocky Mountain High" and "Sunshine On My Shoulders," had received the warning in 1995 after being arrested for drunken driving. An autopsy showed no signs of alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash.
While drawing no conclusions, the report showed that Denver's plane almost certainly was low on fuel when he took off from the Monterey Peninsula Airport in the late afternoon to practice takeoffs and landings. Denver bought the plane only two weeks earlier from another pilot.
In the interim, the plane was taken on a test flight, flown 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.