John Denver

John Denver (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), born Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr., was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Denver died at the age of 53 off the coast of Monterey, California while piloting a Rutan Long-EZ, an experimental fiberglass airplane.

Death

Denver had two passions in life: song, and flying. An experienced pilot, Denver owned and flew his own Lear Jet, gliders, flew aerobatically, and even had some time in an F-15. However, it was this passion for the air that cost Denver his life when he crashed his newly acquired Rutan Long-EZ aircraft into the ocean on October 12 1997.

Related Topics:
Pilot - Lear Jet - Glider - F-15 - Rutan Long-EZ - October 12 - 1997

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The mass media published inconsistent versions for the cause of the crash where in fact there were multiple, serial causes of the crash (as is commonly the case in aircraft accidents), which ultimately reduce to pilot error in not adequately preparing for the flight in the unfamiliar aircraft, and pilot error when attempting to switch to the right tank and inadvertently putting the aircraft into a steep bank.

Related Topics:
Mass media - Pilot error

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The accident report highlighted the following factors:

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• Denver began the flight knowing that the tanks were low on fuel but neglected to fill the tanks prior to takeoff as he thought there would be enough for the solo familiarisation flight in the aircraft which he estimated would be an hour long.
• The fuel selector was installed in a non-standard location which was difficult for the pilot to reach.
• The fuel selector was installed to function in a counterintuitive fashion (up for off, down for right, and right for left) and was unmarked.
• The fuel sight gauges were unmarked and non-linear, as a result they did not give an intuitive measure of fuel available.
• It is likely that the fuel in the left tank of the aircraft was consumed during the first half-hour of the flight.
• Denver would have had to loosen his harness and twist his body in the seat in order to reach the fuel selector.
• In doing this it is likely that Denver inadvertently depressed the right rudder pedal.
• With the rudder pedal depressed the aircraft would have rolled into a steep bank.
• Denver was preoccupied with trying to change to the other tank and regain engine power; in doing so the bank was not detected or corrected in time.
• The aircraft impacted the ocean before Denver was able to regain control.

The Denver crash has led to improved safety standards for small, custom aircraft.

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