His Last Words
A representative from the National Transportation Safety Board said Denver didn’t give any emergency indication when he radioed into the Monterey airport control tower – a routine transmission – mere seconds before the crash.
‘Take Me Home: The John Denver Story’ TV Film – 2000. Photo By ITV/Shutterstock
Denver had radioed the tower to say that he was adjusting his transponder, a device that signals to the tower in order for air traffic controllers to see an aircraft on their screens. “He was sending the transponder signal,” George Petterson, a safety board investigator, said. He then revealed what John Denver’s last words were: “Do you have it now?”