WASHINGTON — Low fuel, a hard-to-reach handle to switch gas tanks and modifications to his homemade airplane may have figured in the crash that killed singer John Denver last year, federal investigators said Monday. The National Transportation Safety Board, wrapping up the fact-finding phase of its investigation into the Oct. 12 crash, 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. Denver had received the warning in 1995 after being arrested for drunken driving. An autopsy showed no signs of alcohol or drugs in Denver's body at the time of the plane crash off the California coast. While drawing no conclusions, the report suggests factors that may have contributed to the crash that killed the 53-year-old singer-songwriter, famous for such hits as "Rocky Mountain High" and "Sunshine on My Shoulders."
