 Pettis was killed on February 14, 1975, when the Beechcraft Model V35B Bonanza he was piloting crashed near Cherry Valley, California, after he encountered adverse weather conditions.He is buried at Montecito Memorial Park in Colton, California.Pettis's wife, Shirley Neil Pettis, replaced him in the House when she won a special election on April 29, 1975.