The Munich Air Disaster

On 6 February 1958, British European Airways flight 609 crashed in a blizzard on its third attempt to take off from an ice- and slush-covered runway at Munich Airport. The crash claimed the lives of twenty-three passengers and crew including eight Manchester United footballers. Affectionately known as the Busby Babes, with an average age of twenty-two, they were the cream of the crop and destined to reign over their rivals for the next decade.
The German inquiry blamed the accident on pilot error. However, this book argues that this was not so. Based on his technical knowledge of aircraft accident investigation, years of research and interviews with those involved, the author shows that the pilot, Captain James Thain, performed heroically and was shamefully treated by the aviation authorities for many years.
Munich swept away a generation of gifted footballers including the legendary Duncan Edwards, Tommy Taylor, Roger Byrne, David Pegg, and Liam Whelan from Dublin. Stephen Morrin's book is a story of tragedy, a pilot's heroism in adversity, legal treachery and one of the defining moments in the Manchester United story. It was a sporting disaster that gave birth to a legend - a legend which fifty years later shows no sign of diminishing.

Stephen R. Morrin is an aviation historian and author based in Cheshire. His previous books include The Day the Sky Fell Down, which deals with the Stockport air disaster of 1967.