page_title: Munich air disaster
section_title: Passengers
hierarchical_section_title: Munich air disaster / Crash / Fatalities / Passengers
caption_attribution_description: English: The Munich Clock on the South-East corner of Old Trafford, Manchester, commemorating the Munich air disaster of 1958
context_page_description: The Munich air disaster occurred on 6 February 1958 when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport, West Germany. On the plane was the Manchester United football team, nicknamed the "Busby Babes", along with supporters and journalists. Twenty of the 44 on the aircraft died at the scene. The injured, some unconscious, were taken to the Rechts der Isar Hospital in Munich where three more died, resulting in 23 fatalities with 21 survivors.
  The team was returning from a European Cup match in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, having eliminated Red Star Belgrade to advance to the semi-finals of the competition. The flight stopped to refuel in Munich because a non-stop flight from Belgrade to Manchester was beyond the "Elizabethan"-class Airspeed Ambassador's range. After refuelling, pilots James Thain and Kenneth Rayment twice abandoned take-off because of boost surging in the left engine. Fearing they would get too far behind schedule, Captain Thain rejected an overnight stay in Munich in favour of a third take-off attempt. By then, snow was falling, causing a layer of slush to form at the end of the runway.
context_section_description: Manchester United players
  Geoff Bent
  Roger Byrne
  Eddie Colman
  Duncan Edwards (survived the crash, but died in hospital 15 days later)
  Mark Jones
  David Pegg
  Tommy Taylor
  Billy Whelan
  Manchester United staff
  Walter Crickmer, club secretary
  Tom Curry, trainer
  Bert Whalley, chief coach
  Journalists
  Frank Swift, News of the World (also former England and Manchester City goalkeeper; died on his way to hospital)
  Donny Davies, Manchester Guardian
caption: The Munich Clock, on the South-East corner of Old Trafford
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