Who was killed when his private plane crashed in Monterey Bay, California in 1997?
Monterey Regional Airport fire. The 31-year-old pilot had about 4,000 hours of flight experience. On October 12, 1997, at about 5:28 pm a Rutan Long-EZ (tail number N555JD) being flown by John Denver crashed into Monterey Bay near Pacific Grove, California. After taking off from Monterey the Long-EZ started its climb then descended into bay. The investigation revealed that the collision was caused by the fuel valve selector being in an improper position. Inadequate flight planning also contributed to the collision. John Denver had about 2,750 hours of flight experience. Monterey Regional Airport Monterey Regional Airport is three miles (5 km) southeast of
John Denver In 1974, he bought a Learjet to fly himself to concerts. He was a collector of vintage biplanes, and owned a Christen Eagle aerobatic plane, two Cessna 210 airplanes, and in 1997, an experimental, amateur-built Rutan Long-EZ. Denver was killed on October 12, 1997 when his experimental Rutan Long-EZ plane, aircraft registration number N555JD, crashed into Monterey Bay near Pacific Grove, California, while making a series of touch-and-go landings at the nearby Monterey Peninsula Airport. Denver was the only occupant of the aircraft. Identification was not possible using dental records; only his fingerprints confirmed that the pilot was Denver. The