Duncan Edwards Videos
a tribute to the great Duncan Edwards, includes news footage of the Munich crash followed by pictures and videos of Duncan with ‘Yesterday’ by The Beatles
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Duncan Edwards by Sir Matt Busby and Bobby Charlton
Duncan Edwards Pictures & Film
newsreel from 1958
The Munich air disaster occurred on February 6, 1958, when Flight BE609, a British European Airways “Elizabethan” class Airspeed Ambassador charter aircraft G-ALZU ‘Lord Burghley’, carrying players and backroom staff of Manchester United F.C., plus a number of journalists and supporters, crashed in a blizzard on its third attempt to take off from Munich-Riem airport.
Twenty-three of the 43 passengers on board the aircraft died in the disaster.
Captain James Thain, the pilot, tried to take off twice, but both attempts were aborted due to a problem with the engines. When a third take off was attempted, at 3:04pm, the plane failed to gain adequate height and crashed into the fence surrounding the airport, then into a house, which was unoccupied at the time.
Although the crash was originally blamed on pilot error, it was subsequently found to have been caused by the build-up of slush towards the ends of the runway, causing deceleration of the aircraft and preventing safe flying speed from being attained. During the take off the aircraft had attained a speed of 117 kt but on entering the slush speed dropped to 105 kt, too slow for flight with not enough runway remaining to abort the take off. Aircraft with tail-wheel undercarriages had not been greatly affected by slush, due to the geometry of these undercarriages in relation to the aircraft’s centre of gravity, but newer types, such as the Ambassador, with nosewheel landing-gear and the main wheels behind the centre of gravity were found to be vulnerable. The accident resulted in the instigation of operating limits for the amount of slush build-up permitted on runways.
Seven of Manchester United’s players died immediately, and Duncan Edwards died from his injuries on 21 February. Two other players had to retire because of their injuries. Matt Busby was seriously injured and had to stay in hospital for some time after the crash, and was read his last rites twice. There was speculation that the club would fold, but a threadbare United team completed the 1957-1958 season, with United’s coach Jimmy Murphy standing in as manager.[3] A team largely made up of reserves and youth team players beat Sheffield Wednesday 3–1 in the first match after the disaster. Poignantly, the programme for that match showed simply a blank space where each United player’s name should have been.
Although the team’s league results were poor they reached the final of the F.A. Cup, losing 2–0 to Bolton Wanderers. Busby resumed managerial duties the following season and eventually built a second generation of Busby Babes, including George Best, that went on to win the European Cup a decade after the disaster in 1968, beating Benfica. Crash survivors Bobby Charlton and Bill Foulkes were two of the other players who lined up in that team.
The Munich air disaster occurred on February 6, 1958, when Flight BE609, a British European Airways “Elizabethan” class Airspeed Ambassador charter aircraft G-ALZU ‘Lord Burghley’, carrying players and backroom staff of Manchester United F.C., plus a number of journalists and supporters, crashed in a blizzard on its third attempt to take off from Munich-Riem airport.
Twenty-three of the 43 passengers on board the aircraft died in the disaster.
Captain James Thain, the pilot, tried to take off twice, but both attempts were aborted due to a problem with the engines. When a third take off was attempted, at 3:04pm, the plane failed to gain adequate height and crashed into the fence surrounding the airport, then into a house, which was unoccupied at the time.
Although the crash was originally blamed on pilot error, it was subsequently found to have been caused by the build-up of slush towards the ends of the runway, causing deceleration of the aircraft and preventing safe flying speed from being attained. During the take off the aircraft had attained a speed of 117 kt but on entering the slush speed dropped to 105 kt, too slow for flight with not enough runway remaining to abort the take off. Aircraft with tail-wheel undercarriages had not been greatly affected by slush, due to the geometry of these undercarriages in relation to the aircraft’s centre of gravity, but newer types, such as the Ambassador, with nosewheel landing-gear and the main wheels behind the centre of gravity were found to be vulnerable. The accident resulted in the instigation of operating limits for the amount of slush build-up permitted on runways.
Seven of Manchester United’s players died immediately, and Duncan Edwards died from his injuries on 21 February. Two other players had to retire because of their injuries. Matt Busby was seriously injured and had to stay in hospital for some time after the crash, and was read his last rites twice. There was speculation that the club would fold, but a threadbare United team completed the 1957-1958 season, with United’s coach Jimmy Murphy standing in as manager.[3] A team largely made up of reserves and youth team players beat Sheffield Wednesday 3–1 in the first match after the disaster. Poignantly, the programme for that match showed simply a blank space where each United player’s name should have been.
Although the team’s league results were poor they reached the final of the F.A. Cup, losing 2–0 to Bolton Wanderers. Busby resumed managerial duties the following season and eventually built a second generation of Busby Babes, including George Best, that went on to win the European Cup a decade after the disaster in 1968, beating Benfica. Crash survivors Bobby Charlton and Bill Foulkes were two of the other players who lined up in that team.
