John got bitten by a fuel system quirk in the airplane he was killed in. He ran out of gas, but he should have had fuel in the tank so he didn't have to hunt for the handle to swap tanks. He was unfamiliar with the aircraft which compounded the problem. You can't be too careful. He was a good pilot, just a victim of lots of circumstances. Not sure why he wasn't able to glide to a crash landing. Unless he was so distracted that he forgot to fly the aircraft, and depending on the distraction, it can happen to anyone.
Not sure why he wasn't able to glide to a crash landing. Unless he was so distracted that he forgot to fly the aircraft...<<<<<<<<<
Reminds me of what a local FAA official used to remind the area pilots..."Never drop the airplane in order to fly the microphone". Best advice I ever got, it applies to all sorts of situations in life.
I believe John Denver lost control over water - off Santa Maria, CA, IIRC. The plane had just gotten out of the paint shop.