on october 12th, 1997 denver was piloting his own "experimental ultralight plane" off of monterey bay, california. he made an error in calculating his remaining fuel levels and fatally crashed directly into the ocean near lover's point, pacific grove, after the plane ran completely out of gas. after a thorough investigation completed by the national aviation services and supporting law enforcement, it was deemed that he was too confined within the limited space of his plane to successfully engage his reserve tank. denver was 53 years old; his remains were cremated, and his ashes were scattered in the rocky mountains.