1 00:00:02,369 --> 00:00:04,104 Out! Everyone, out! Now! 2 00:00:04,838 --> 00:00:07,544 Run, you stupid bastard! It's going to explode! 3 00:00:08,108 --> 00:00:09,527 (CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICKING) 4 00:00:09,610 --> 00:00:11,545 NARRATOR: Munich, 1958. 5 00:00:12,145 --> 00:00:13,647 Twenty-three dead, 6 00:00:13,780 --> 00:00:17,017 including some of the most talented sportsmen on Earth. 7 00:00:18,318 --> 00:00:19,730 We were really big time. 8 00:00:20,754 --> 00:00:21,955 Ready for takeoff. 9 00:00:22,089 --> 00:00:23,707 You could really not expect to have a better crew 10 00:00:23,790 --> 00:00:25,849 flying that Manchester United team. 11 00:00:26,493 --> 00:00:28,262 105, V1. 12 00:00:28,395 --> 00:00:30,964 The crew had not had the wings deiced. 13 00:00:31,098 --> 00:00:33,734 The pilots know what they're doing, boys. 14 00:00:35,102 --> 00:00:36,954 Christ! We're not going to make it! 15 00:00:37,037 --> 00:00:38,472 I thought I was dead. 16 00:00:38,605 --> 00:00:41,723 {\an8}NARRATOR: Blame for the tragedy would fall on one man. 17 00:00:42,376 --> 00:00:44,729 That is one hell of a burden to take on. 18 00:00:45,145 --> 00:00:46,197 He was devastated by this. 19 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:50,398 NARRATOR: The effort to clear his name would span more than a decade... 20 00:00:51,485 --> 00:00:55,923 and pit one nation against another in a bitter struggle for the truth 21 00:00:56,056 --> 00:00:59,626 behind one of the worst tragedies in the history of sport. 22 00:01:00,027 --> 00:01:02,896 (THEME MUSIC PLAYING) 23 00:01:03,330 --> 00:01:04,531 MAN: Mayday! Mayday! 24 00:01:15,175 --> 00:01:18,178 (SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING) 25 00:01:24,785 --> 00:01:27,120 {\an8}NARRATOR: February the 6th, 1958. 26 00:01:28,355 --> 00:01:30,324 {\an8}Munich Airport, West Germany. 27 00:01:35,829 --> 00:01:40,359 A British pilot prepares to bring home an extraordinary group of passengers... 28 00:01:42,870 --> 00:01:45,372 the Manchester United football team. 29 00:01:48,275 --> 00:01:52,145 In the 1950s, they are the most famous sportsmen on the planet. 30 00:01:53,180 --> 00:01:54,865 COMMENTATOR: Everyone in the huge Wembley crowd 31 00:01:54,948 --> 00:01:58,102 from the Queen to the oldest fan is tense with excitement. 32 00:01:58,185 --> 00:02:01,138 {\an8}Uh, Manchester United is probably the most premier team, 33 00:02:01,221 --> 00:02:04,398 {\an8}the most famous team this country had ever seen before. 34 00:02:04,491 --> 00:02:08,495 I joined the club in December '57. 35 00:02:09,363 --> 00:02:12,363 NARRATOR: Harry Gregg is the team's star goalkeeper. 36 00:02:12,599 --> 00:02:13,717 {\an8}We boarded the aircraft, 37 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:16,036 {\an8}which was a charter, a charter flight. 38 00:02:16,503 --> 00:02:17,915 We were really big time. 39 00:02:22,376 --> 00:02:25,200 NARRATOR: After playing a key game in Yugoslavia, 40 00:02:25,579 --> 00:02:29,816 the team has advanced to the semifinal of the prestigious European Cup. 41 00:02:31,652 --> 00:02:35,139 MOSS: The aircraft had to stop in Munich because it didn't have sufficient range 42 00:02:35,222 --> 00:02:37,658 {\an8}to get back to Manchester from Belgrade 43 00:02:37,791 --> 00:02:39,393 {\an8}without stopping to refuel. 44 00:02:42,029 --> 00:02:45,382 NARRATOR: The 21 players and staff are traveling in style. 45 00:02:45,566 --> 00:02:49,369 They're aboard a British European Airways Airspeed Ambassador. 46 00:02:49,903 --> 00:02:52,105 It's a luxurious twin-engine aircraft 47 00:02:52,239 --> 00:02:54,208 also known as the Elizabethan. 48 00:02:58,812 --> 00:03:01,648 The captain is 36-year-old James Thain. 49 00:03:01,782 --> 00:03:05,652 He's a former RAF pilot with an impeccable service record. 50 00:03:06,019 --> 00:03:07,338 SEBUDA: He was quite a remarkable man. 51 00:03:07,421 --> 00:03:10,290 {\an8}He was very upright and honorable, 52 00:03:10,858 --> 00:03:12,153 {\an8}very strong character. 53 00:03:18,065 --> 00:03:21,018 MOSS: The weather had been pretty grim throughout the day. 54 00:03:21,101 --> 00:03:25,606 The snowfall in the morning, um, gave way to a rising temperature 55 00:03:25,739 --> 00:03:27,774 to just above freezing. 56 00:03:28,909 --> 00:03:32,439 NARRATOR: As Captain Thain finishes his preflight inspection, 57 00:03:32,746 --> 00:03:35,688 the young sportsmen settle in for the journey home. 58 00:03:42,789 --> 00:03:46,593 They were notable for the fact that their manager Matt Busby... 59 00:03:46,727 --> 00:03:49,375 I'd like the lads to get a good night's sleep. 60 00:03:50,063 --> 00:03:53,934 ...was, uh, picking relatively young players in team 61 00:03:54,067 --> 00:03:56,950 and that's why they were known as the Busby Babes. 62 00:03:57,571 --> 00:04:00,191 COMMENTATOR: The Busby Babes start the second half in cracking form 63 00:04:00,274 --> 00:04:01,492 with that slippery winger... 64 00:04:01,575 --> 00:04:03,227 We were a young and wonderful team, 65 00:04:03,310 --> 00:04:05,781 which I am very proud to have been part of. 66 00:04:07,915 --> 00:04:09,600 I'll give you guys a chance to get your money back 67 00:04:09,683 --> 00:04:11,435 once we're in the air, boys, all right? 68 00:04:11,518 --> 00:04:12,619 (LAUGHTER) 69 00:04:12,753 --> 00:04:14,171 NARRATOR: Traveling with the team 70 00:04:14,254 --> 00:04:17,224 are 11 of the UK's best-known sports journalists, 71 00:04:17,491 --> 00:04:20,861 eager to report on Manchester United's latest success. 72 00:04:22,129 --> 00:04:26,533 Also on board are a few Yugoslavians catching a ride to the UK, 73 00:04:27,367 --> 00:04:29,269 38 passengers in all. 74 00:04:30,404 --> 00:04:31,589 How's she looking out there? 75 00:04:31,672 --> 00:04:32,757 Snow build-up's minimal. 76 00:04:32,840 --> 00:04:33,907 No need to sweep. 77 00:04:34,675 --> 00:04:35,676 Take us home. 78 00:04:36,109 --> 00:04:37,144 Happily. 79 00:04:40,681 --> 00:04:45,285 NARRATOR: 38-year-old co-pilot Kenneth Rayment is a World War II ace. 80 00:04:47,221 --> 00:04:49,223 He is also an Elizabethan captain 81 00:04:49,356 --> 00:04:52,004 and is in fact senior to Thain at the airline. 82 00:04:52,860 --> 00:04:56,063 MORRIN: They were both, um, highly experienced pilots. 83 00:04:56,196 --> 00:04:58,048 You could really not expect to have a better crew 84 00:04:58,131 --> 00:05:00,190 flying that Manchester United team. 85 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:03,470 (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING) 86 00:05:03,604 --> 00:05:06,257 They were great friends and of course they were captains together 87 00:05:06,340 --> 00:05:08,399 and they flew together quite often. 88 00:05:08,909 --> 00:05:12,029 NARRATOR: Rayment and Thain have agreed that on this flight 89 00:05:12,112 --> 00:05:13,547 they will switch seats. 90 00:05:13,981 --> 00:05:18,218 Because Captain Rayment was going to be handling the aircraft 91 00:05:18,352 --> 00:05:20,504 and he would be used to handling the aircraft 92 00:05:20,587 --> 00:05:21,639 from the left hand seat, 93 00:05:21,722 --> 00:05:24,075 that's why he sat in the left hand seat. 94 00:05:24,625 --> 00:05:26,210 Port and starboard fuel cocks on. 95 00:05:26,293 --> 00:05:27,394 Cross feed off. 96 00:05:27,528 --> 00:05:29,764 NARRATOR: It's against company policy, 97 00:05:29,863 --> 00:05:33,150 which states the commander should always sit in the left seat, 98 00:05:33,233 --> 00:05:35,704 but it's a rule that is frequently broken. 99 00:05:36,970 --> 00:05:39,623 Throttles, port and starboard levers one inch open. 100 00:05:39,706 --> 00:05:41,742 Carb air port and starboard ram. 101 00:05:41,875 --> 00:05:43,727 Carb air port and starboard ram. 102 00:05:43,810 --> 00:05:44,995 Ignition boost switches off. 103 00:05:45,078 --> 00:05:46,697 Ignition boost switches off. 104 00:05:46,780 --> 00:05:50,017 (ENGINE REVVING) 105 00:05:53,587 --> 00:05:55,789 Munich, 6-0-9 Zulu Uniform, 106 00:05:55,923 --> 00:05:57,276 I am ready to take off. 107 00:05:57,958 --> 00:06:02,196 B-line 6-0-9, uh, your clearance expires at three-one. 108 00:06:02,329 --> 00:06:03,931 Time now is three-zero. 109 00:06:04,531 --> 00:06:06,649 Cleared for takeoff, right turn out. 110 00:06:07,201 --> 00:06:08,468 Thank you. Rolling. 111 00:06:11,271 --> 00:06:12,389 NARRATOR: In light snow 112 00:06:12,472 --> 00:06:15,120 with the temperature hovering around freezing, 113 00:06:15,242 --> 00:06:17,878 Thain and Rayment start their takeoff run. 114 00:06:18,312 --> 00:06:19,813 (RUMBLING) 115 00:06:19,947 --> 00:06:22,382 (SWOOSHING) 116 00:06:22,516 --> 00:06:25,452 - Full power. - Full power. 117 00:06:26,186 --> 00:06:29,440 I had been reading a book that one of the lads had passed to me. 118 00:06:29,523 --> 00:06:32,582 I was reading that and we started off down the runway 119 00:06:32,826 --> 00:06:34,145 and I looked out the window. 120 00:06:34,228 --> 00:06:35,596 No big deal at all. 121 00:06:36,964 --> 00:06:38,847 Temperatures and pressures okay. 122 00:06:41,435 --> 00:06:43,537 Ninety, one hundred. 123 00:06:43,670 --> 00:06:46,573 NARRATOR: Takeoff speed is 119 knots. 124 00:06:47,307 --> 00:06:48,876 (RUMBLING) 125 00:06:50,644 --> 00:06:52,279 Abandon takeoff. 126 00:06:54,948 --> 00:06:58,352 All of a sudden, I watched the wheels lock and unlock 127 00:06:59,019 --> 00:07:00,784 and the plane started to spin. 128 00:07:01,255 --> 00:07:03,991 We stopped slightly side on. 129 00:07:05,092 --> 00:07:07,111 Sorry about that. Engine fluctuating. 130 00:07:07,194 --> 00:07:09,371 6-0-9, we are abandoning the takeoff. 131 00:07:09,930 --> 00:07:11,365 Tower, please say again. 132 00:07:11,498 --> 00:07:13,263 We are abandoning the takeoff. 133 00:07:13,634 --> 00:07:14,987 May we backtrack? Over. 134 00:07:16,370 --> 00:07:17,804 Engine boosting. 135 00:07:18,372 --> 00:07:19,673 I would think so, yes. 136 00:07:20,073 --> 00:07:21,459 Uh, the problem was a boost surge 137 00:07:21,542 --> 00:07:23,260 and it happened with that particular engine 138 00:07:23,343 --> 00:07:24,595 on that particular aircraft. 139 00:07:24,678 --> 00:07:26,680 It was a Bristol Centaurus engine. 140 00:07:26,813 --> 00:07:27,898 It was prone to doing this, 141 00:07:27,981 --> 00:07:30,134 especially at airports which are at high altitudes 142 00:07:30,217 --> 00:07:31,569 and one of the problems was 143 00:07:31,652 --> 00:07:34,004 that the thrusts sometimes opened too fast. 144 00:07:34,087 --> 00:07:36,690 6-0-9, cleared to backtrack. 145 00:07:38,559 --> 00:07:41,345 NARRATOR: The Elizabethan taxies back to the start of the runway 146 00:07:41,428 --> 00:07:43,134 for a second takeoff attempt. 147 00:07:46,066 --> 00:07:49,036 I trustily can say I was not too perturbed at all. 148 00:07:50,270 --> 00:07:52,239 Another adventure for a young man 149 00:07:52,706 --> 00:07:55,001 and I was not a bad flier at that time. 150 00:07:55,242 --> 00:07:57,377 Munich, 6-0-9 Zulu Uniform. 151 00:07:57,511 --> 00:07:58,696 When we get to the end of the runway 152 00:07:58,779 --> 00:08:00,131 I should like to take off again. 153 00:08:00,214 --> 00:08:01,920 Is the clearance still valid? 154 00:08:02,716 --> 00:08:05,052 6-0-9, your clearance is still valid. 155 00:08:11,024 --> 00:08:12,877 FLIGHT ATTENDANT: Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize 156 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:15,137 but we are heading back to try again. 157 00:08:16,196 --> 00:08:17,681 GREGG: Went back to the beginning, 158 00:08:17,764 --> 00:08:19,588 sat, revved up as one would do. 159 00:08:19,700 --> 00:08:22,289 Revved, revved, and they took the anchors off 160 00:08:22,402 --> 00:08:24,571 and I paid more attention this time. 161 00:08:27,140 --> 00:08:28,876 (ENGINE WHIRRING) 162 00:08:33,013 --> 00:08:35,599 Slightly further along the runway, the same thing happened again. 163 00:08:35,682 --> 00:08:38,819 - (RUMBLING) - Port is off the clock. 164 00:08:38,952 --> 00:08:42,600 And this time it was Thain who actually abandoned that takeoff. 165 00:08:43,457 --> 00:08:46,260 And again, when I thought we were about to lift 166 00:08:46,527 --> 00:08:48,795 I watched the wheels lock and unlock, 167 00:08:49,763 --> 00:08:50,764 lock and unlock. 168 00:08:50,898 --> 00:08:52,366 (TIRE SCREECH) 169 00:08:54,468 --> 00:08:55,619 They got it stopped. 170 00:08:55,702 --> 00:08:59,606 (TENSE MUSIC PLAYING) 171 00:09:02,009 --> 00:09:04,278 Munich, 6-0-9 Zulu Uniform, 172 00:09:04,411 --> 00:09:06,706 we are abandoning this takeoff as well. 173 00:09:07,481 --> 00:09:08,482 (SIGHS) 174 00:09:09,449 --> 00:09:12,219 Roger. Cleared to backtrack. 175 00:09:14,221 --> 00:09:15,706 And the pilot came on and said... 176 00:09:15,789 --> 00:09:16,874 CAPTAIN RAYMENT: Sorry for that. 177 00:09:16,957 --> 00:09:19,610 We have a technical fault that we're now looking into. 178 00:09:19,693 --> 00:09:22,696 We're returning to the terminal for further checks. 179 00:09:22,829 --> 00:09:26,150 Nothing to be alarmed about and we hope to have you airborne shortly. 180 00:09:26,233 --> 00:09:30,470 (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING) 181 00:09:34,741 --> 00:09:36,743 Don't stray too far, boys. 182 00:09:38,312 --> 00:09:40,280 We had returned to the terminal 183 00:09:41,248 --> 00:09:43,013 and everybody went to the bar. 184 00:09:45,485 --> 00:09:48,572 Bill Black, the station engineer, had seen these two aborted takeoffs 185 00:09:48,655 --> 00:09:50,841 and obviously clattered up the steps, put his head through the cockpit 186 00:09:50,924 --> 00:09:54,011 and said, "Well what's going on? Why haven't you taken off?" 187 00:09:54,094 --> 00:09:58,832 We've been getting a boost surge in the port engine up past 60 last time. 188 00:09:59,166 --> 00:10:02,887 They received an explanation that this was a fairly common phenomenon 189 00:10:02,970 --> 00:10:07,908 when operating the Elizabethan from Munich because of the high altitude, 190 00:10:08,041 --> 00:10:11,028 that it was nothing to worry about and they were given advice 191 00:10:11,111 --> 00:10:14,281 when advancing the throttles if they got the surging 192 00:10:14,414 --> 00:10:18,785 was to just retard the surging engine slightly, reduce power, 193 00:10:18,919 --> 00:10:22,222 and then take it up again to full power more slowly. 194 00:10:23,056 --> 00:10:28,095 MAN: Passengers for BEA 6-0-9, please proceed to the tarmac. 195 00:10:28,228 --> 00:10:31,231 (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING) 196 00:10:41,074 --> 00:10:44,261 MORRIN: Within five minutes the passengers had been offloaded and loaded on again 197 00:10:44,344 --> 00:10:46,230 and then there was a surprise to them 198 00:10:46,313 --> 00:10:47,798 'cause they'd had two aborted takeoffs 199 00:10:47,881 --> 00:10:50,176 and now they're asked to go back again. 200 00:10:53,921 --> 00:10:57,216 If one person had said, this is crazy, we're not going... 201 00:10:58,392 --> 00:11:00,077 he would have had a whole lot of followers 202 00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:02,146 but there you are, human nature again, 203 00:11:02,229 --> 00:11:03,877 who's got the moral courage? 204 00:11:07,367 --> 00:11:09,820 But who, who likes to admit to being a coward? 205 00:11:09,903 --> 00:11:14,241 (OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING) 206 00:11:17,544 --> 00:11:21,682 NARRATOR: BEA flight 6-0-9 prepares for its third takeoff attempt 207 00:11:21,815 --> 00:11:23,083 from Munich Airport. 208 00:11:23,617 --> 00:11:26,203 The plane carrying the Manchester United Football Club 209 00:11:26,286 --> 00:11:28,934 is drawing attention from inside the terminal. 210 00:11:34,061 --> 00:11:35,913 You've got to remember these are the Busby Babes. 211 00:11:35,996 --> 00:11:37,882 {\an8}They're laughing and joking all the time, 212 00:11:37,965 --> 00:11:40,151 {\an8}that sort of thing but now they're quite quiet. 213 00:11:40,234 --> 00:11:42,705 There's a lot of tension there in the air. 214 00:11:43,804 --> 00:11:45,939 GREGG: Little Johnny Berry, he said, 215 00:11:46,073 --> 00:11:48,392 "We're all gonna get freaking killed here," 216 00:11:48,475 --> 00:11:51,652 and then Whelan said, "Well, if it happens, I'm ready." 217 00:11:52,045 --> 00:11:55,482 {\an8}At that point, I opened my tie. 218 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:02,022 Ignition boost switches off. 219 00:12:02,155 --> 00:12:04,057 Ignition boost switches off. 220 00:12:04,625 --> 00:12:07,661 Wings... still look good? 221 00:12:08,328 --> 00:12:09,596 No need to deice. 222 00:12:17,571 --> 00:12:21,141 (ENGINE REVS) 223 00:12:21,275 --> 00:12:24,811 Munich Tower, B-line 6-0-9 Zulu Uniform, 224 00:12:24,945 --> 00:12:26,747 I'm ready to taxi. Over. 225 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:28,415 B-line 6-0-9, 226 00:12:28,549 --> 00:12:32,252 your clearance void if not airborne by zero-four. 227 00:12:32,386 --> 00:12:33,987 Time now zero-two. 228 00:12:35,155 --> 00:12:36,290 Roger. Understand. 229 00:12:36,423 --> 00:12:38,025 Valid till zero-four. 230 00:12:41,261 --> 00:12:43,180 NARRATOR: Captain Thain has just two minutes 231 00:12:43,263 --> 00:12:45,799 before the window for takeoff closes. 232 00:12:45,933 --> 00:12:48,286 If this third attempt is not successful, 233 00:12:48,769 --> 00:12:50,437 the flight may be canceled 234 00:12:50,838 --> 00:12:53,897 and his famous passengers will be grounded in Munich. 235 00:12:58,111 --> 00:13:01,715 Munich, 6-0-9 Zulu Uniform is ready for takeoff. 236 00:13:01,849 --> 00:13:02,883 Roger. 237 00:13:05,018 --> 00:13:07,872 NARRATOR: The runway is more than 1,900 meters long. 238 00:13:07,955 --> 00:13:10,757 Even with their plan for a gradual acceleration, 239 00:13:11,658 --> 00:13:15,896 the Elizabethan should be able to liftoff just past 1,200 meters. 240 00:13:19,066 --> 00:13:20,718 So for the third time that day, 241 00:13:20,801 --> 00:13:24,021 they actually lined up the aircraft with the center line, 242 00:13:24,104 --> 00:13:25,923 got the permission, the clearance to takeoff. 243 00:13:26,006 --> 00:13:27,040 And they're away. 244 00:13:27,908 --> 00:13:29,438 - Full power. - Full power. 245 00:13:31,578 --> 00:13:33,461 Temperatures and pressures okay. 246 00:13:37,451 --> 00:13:38,886 Port surging slightly. 247 00:13:40,754 --> 00:13:43,824 {\an8}He experienced a bit of this engine surging, 248 00:13:43,957 --> 00:13:45,976 {\an8}which he retarded the throttles slightly 249 00:13:46,059 --> 00:13:47,661 and then advanced it again. 250 00:13:48,295 --> 00:13:49,630 Full power again. 251 00:13:50,264 --> 00:13:51,615 Both engines sound an even note. 252 00:13:51,698 --> 00:13:53,617 We're going down the runway now for a takeoff. 253 00:13:53,700 --> 00:13:54,995 Everything seems okay. 254 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:02,452 The pilots know what they're doing, boys. 255 00:14:05,779 --> 00:14:07,698 I thought there's more people on this plane 256 00:14:07,781 --> 00:14:09,605 more frightened than what I am. 257 00:14:15,255 --> 00:14:18,358 One-oh-five. V1. 258 00:14:19,393 --> 00:14:21,879 NARRATOR: Velocity one is the speed at which a takeoff 259 00:14:21,962 --> 00:14:23,551 cannot safely be abandoned, 260 00:14:24,264 --> 00:14:26,333 the point of no return. 261 00:14:27,434 --> 00:14:28,552 Rayment now is waiting. 262 00:14:28,635 --> 00:14:32,706 He's anticipating now for Thain to call out 119 knots, which is V2. 263 00:14:33,941 --> 00:14:37,144 NARRATOR: At 119 knots, the plane can become airborne. 264 00:14:39,446 --> 00:14:40,917 But something goes wrong. 265 00:14:42,449 --> 00:14:44,718 They suddenly lose speed. 266 00:14:46,286 --> 00:14:48,345 Christ! We're not going to make it! 267 00:14:51,225 --> 00:14:55,395 (OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING) 268 00:14:55,863 --> 00:14:58,182 There was no screaming. There was no shouting. 269 00:14:58,265 --> 00:14:59,383 There was nothing like that at all. 270 00:14:59,466 --> 00:15:01,935 (RUMBLING) 271 00:15:02,069 --> 00:15:07,841 Darkness and daylight and sparks and thumps and smacks. 272 00:15:08,675 --> 00:15:09,794 You-you just can't describe it. 273 00:15:09,877 --> 00:15:14,882 (CRASHING) 274 00:15:15,015 --> 00:15:16,850 (EXPLOSION) 275 00:15:18,051 --> 00:15:20,875 And then it was just complete and total darkness. 276 00:15:21,188 --> 00:15:22,723 I thought I was dead. 277 00:15:24,858 --> 00:15:27,917 NARRATOR: The Elizabethan has crashed through a fence 278 00:15:28,095 --> 00:15:32,299 hitting a house and a fuel shed 300 meters beyond the end of the runway. 279 00:15:34,001 --> 00:15:38,872 And eventually I got to my senses and I started to crawl uphill 280 00:15:40,307 --> 00:15:43,443 and I got to a hole 281 00:15:44,211 --> 00:15:46,094 in what was left of the aircraft 282 00:15:47,581 --> 00:15:50,684 and I honestly thought I'm the only one alive here... 283 00:15:52,452 --> 00:15:54,521 and then I heard a shout. 284 00:15:54,988 --> 00:15:56,823 Out! Everyone, out! Now! 285 00:15:56,957 --> 00:15:58,292 It's going to explode! 286 00:15:58,425 --> 00:16:00,060 (COUGHS) Out! Everyone... 287 00:16:00,194 --> 00:16:01,371 GREGG: He shouted... 288 00:16:02,763 --> 00:16:05,587 "Run, you stupid bastard. It's going to explode." 289 00:16:05,766 --> 00:16:07,701 Now! The plane could explode! 290 00:16:07,835 --> 00:16:09,736 Come on. Go, go, go, go, go! 291 00:16:10,704 --> 00:16:12,389 - Run, you stupid bastard... - (BABY CRYING) 292 00:16:12,472 --> 00:16:14,708 GREGG: And I heard a child crying. 293 00:16:15,209 --> 00:16:16,562 I shouted, "Come back." 294 00:16:16,877 --> 00:16:20,054 Come back, you bastards! There's people alive in there! 295 00:16:22,149 --> 00:16:23,383 (CRYING CONTINUES) 296 00:16:23,517 --> 00:16:26,137 GREGG: I went back in through the hole I come out of 297 00:16:26,220 --> 00:16:29,189 and I found the little child. 298 00:16:29,957 --> 00:16:33,460 (SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING) 299 00:16:36,496 --> 00:16:39,967 Went right in the other side and found Matt Busby, the boss. 300 00:16:41,802 --> 00:16:44,238 NARRATOR: Busby's alive, but in shock. 301 00:16:44,538 --> 00:16:46,257 He had a small cut behind his right ear, 302 00:16:46,340 --> 00:16:48,609 I remember, but when I looked down, 303 00:16:49,176 --> 00:16:51,796 his foot was completely reversed round the other way. 304 00:16:51,879 --> 00:16:52,913 Oh, my leg. 305 00:16:53,046 --> 00:16:55,299 GREGG: I jammed some rubbish up behind him 306 00:16:55,382 --> 00:16:58,677 because he didn't look too bad and I left him propped up. 307 00:16:59,620 --> 00:17:02,940 NARRATOR: Harry Gregg pulls out one passenger after another, 308 00:17:03,023 --> 00:17:04,892 both living and dead. 309 00:17:07,394 --> 00:17:09,563 A man must do what a man must do. 310 00:17:12,199 --> 00:17:14,018 NARRATOR: Within minutes of the crash, 311 00:17:14,101 --> 00:17:18,205 help begins to arrive from the airport and nearby farms. 312 00:17:21,008 --> 00:17:24,678 Hey! The co-pilot, he's trapped up there. 313 00:17:24,978 --> 00:17:26,113 Can you help him? 314 00:17:29,983 --> 00:17:32,403 NARRATOR: Two German rescuers climb up on the wing 315 00:17:32,486 --> 00:17:34,872 and free Kenneth Rayment from the wreckage. 316 00:17:34,955 --> 00:17:36,356 He is badly injured. 317 00:17:39,560 --> 00:17:41,461 Twenty-one people are dead. 318 00:17:41,895 --> 00:17:44,231 Seven are Manchester United players. 319 00:17:45,465 --> 00:17:49,570 The head coach, secretary, and trainer are also dead. 320 00:17:50,504 --> 00:17:53,440 Seven more team members are seriously injured. 321 00:17:54,575 --> 00:17:57,744 Manager Matt Busby is in critical condition. 322 00:18:00,714 --> 00:18:02,349 Manchester United, 323 00:18:03,083 --> 00:18:05,369 one of the world's greatest football teams, 324 00:18:05,452 --> 00:18:07,087 is effectively wiped out. 325 00:18:08,956 --> 00:18:11,309 What started out as a wonderful thing... 326 00:18:11,658 --> 00:18:12,659 eh... 327 00:18:13,126 --> 00:18:14,194 sadly went wrong. 328 00:18:15,696 --> 00:18:18,966 (SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING) 329 00:18:20,701 --> 00:18:23,954 FRED MANESS: Near Munich, a fierce blaze marks the wreck of a British airliner. 330 00:18:24,037 --> 00:18:25,038 In attempting... 331 00:18:25,205 --> 00:18:28,426 MORRIN: We have this, uh, pretty high-profile air disaster here. 332 00:18:28,509 --> 00:18:29,593 The stakes are quite high. 333 00:18:29,676 --> 00:18:31,729 We're not long after the end of the Second World War. 334 00:18:31,812 --> 00:18:33,297 We've got two pilots who are flying the aircraft 335 00:18:33,380 --> 00:18:35,466 who actually flew in the RAF during the war. 336 00:18:35,549 --> 00:18:37,718 Munich obviously as well was... 337 00:18:37,851 --> 00:18:39,937 uh, place where the cradle of the Nazi party, 338 00:18:40,020 --> 00:18:42,640 so you got a British government, you got a German government. 339 00:18:42,723 --> 00:18:43,941 Everybody was gonna tread warily. 340 00:18:44,024 --> 00:18:47,160 (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING) 341 00:18:48,896 --> 00:18:51,544 NARRATOR: At 10:00 p.m. on February the 6th... 342 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:55,169 six hours after the crash, 343 00:18:55,302 --> 00:18:58,672 the man assigned to investigate it arrives on the scene. 344 00:18:59,206 --> 00:19:03,210 Hans Reichel was the West German chief accident investigator. 345 00:19:03,343 --> 00:19:06,163 He was quite experienced. He was 57 years of age. 346 00:19:06,246 --> 00:19:08,815 He had flown with the Luftwaffe. 347 00:19:08,949 --> 00:19:10,835 He had flown with Lufthansa National Airline, 348 00:19:10,918 --> 00:19:13,918 so there's doubt he was an actually qualified pilot. 349 00:19:15,522 --> 00:19:18,759 This was the first major international accident 350 00:19:19,092 --> 00:19:20,798 that he had had to deal with. 351 00:19:21,161 --> 00:19:23,447 NARRATOR: In his role as air crash investigator, 352 00:19:23,530 --> 00:19:28,202 Steve Moss is reexamining the evidence from a 21st century perspective. 353 00:19:28,602 --> 00:19:30,103 (CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING) 354 00:19:30,237 --> 00:19:32,773 He certainly seems to have arrived at Munich 355 00:19:33,507 --> 00:19:34,942 rather underequipped... 356 00:19:35,075 --> 00:19:36,643 (SPEAKING GERMAN) 357 00:19:36,777 --> 00:19:42,716 ...to the extent that he had to borrow a news crew's lighting equipment 358 00:19:42,850 --> 00:19:44,498 to commence his examination. 359 00:19:44,985 --> 00:19:47,044 Can I have some light here, please? 360 00:19:49,323 --> 00:19:51,275 MOSS: Of course, uppermost in his mind 361 00:19:51,358 --> 00:19:54,494 was the possibility of ice on the wings 362 00:19:54,628 --> 00:19:57,923 so he went looking for that and sure enough, he found it. 363 00:19:58,098 --> 00:20:02,503 (HANS REICHEL SPEAKING GERMAN) 364 00:20:02,636 --> 00:20:05,973 The wrecked aircraft was covered by a layer of snow 365 00:20:06,106 --> 00:20:07,871 about eight centimeters thick. 366 00:20:07,975 --> 00:20:10,844 (OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING) 367 00:20:10,978 --> 00:20:14,508 This could be brushed aside with the hand without difficulty. 368 00:20:14,915 --> 00:20:18,185 Under this, there was a layer of ice 369 00:20:18,852 --> 00:20:21,655 frozen firmly onto the surface of the wing. 370 00:20:21,788 --> 00:20:22,789 Here. 371 00:20:22,923 --> 00:20:27,276 NARRATOR: Reichel finds the only surfaces free of ice are near the engines. 372 00:20:27,361 --> 00:20:31,064 He assumes the entire wing was coated in ice before the crash 373 00:20:31,198 --> 00:20:33,050 and that during the takeoff attempt 374 00:20:33,133 --> 00:20:35,869 the propellers blew away the ice behind them. 375 00:20:36,003 --> 00:20:39,606 (SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING) 376 00:20:39,740 --> 00:20:41,025 The day after the crash, 377 00:20:41,108 --> 00:20:43,756 investigators take a closer look at the scene. 378 00:20:44,211 --> 00:20:47,881 They examine the tire tracks, which extend 50 meters, 379 00:20:48,148 --> 00:20:50,284 and right off the end of the runway. 380 00:20:53,420 --> 00:20:55,139 The information from the ground marks 381 00:20:55,222 --> 00:20:57,340 that the aircraft never got airborne 382 00:20:57,457 --> 00:21:01,361 must have, uh, in Reichel's mind, reinforced this impression 383 00:21:01,495 --> 00:21:04,531 that ice on the wings was responsible. 384 00:21:07,835 --> 00:21:10,588 {\an8}NEWSCASTER: Manchester, from the moment the news came through, 385 00:21:10,671 --> 00:21:12,024 {\an8}was a city in mourning. 386 00:21:13,941 --> 00:21:17,495 {\an8}While millions wait anxiously for news of the seriously injured men, 387 00:21:17,578 --> 00:21:20,520 the hospital staff work day and night to save them. 388 00:21:20,814 --> 00:21:22,873 Matt Busby was their worst problem. 389 00:21:23,383 --> 00:21:25,369 For two days, he lay between life and death 390 00:21:25,452 --> 00:21:27,923 with one of his lungs completely deflated. 391 00:21:28,222 --> 00:21:31,792 Then came the welcome news, Matt was off the danger list. 392 00:21:33,794 --> 00:21:37,324 NARRATOR: Six of the seven injured players also pull through, 393 00:21:38,298 --> 00:21:41,235 but the team loses one of its greatest stars. 394 00:21:42,436 --> 00:21:43,704 Duncan had died. 395 00:21:44,738 --> 00:21:46,607 Duncan died, I think, 10 days. 396 00:21:47,341 --> 00:21:48,509 (SNIFFLES) 397 00:21:50,577 --> 00:21:51,612 Yeah. 398 00:21:51,745 --> 00:21:53,831 NARRATOR: To this day, many regard Duncan Edwards 399 00:21:53,914 --> 00:21:57,284 as the greatest footballer the UK has ever produced. 400 00:21:59,553 --> 00:22:03,490 Co-pilot Kenneth Rayment also dies, having suffered a brain injury. 401 00:22:05,125 --> 00:22:06,827 (RUMBLING) 402 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:08,529 - Full power. - Full power. 403 00:22:08,662 --> 00:22:12,183 NARRATOR: James Thain is left to face a wall of questions on his own. 404 00:22:12,266 --> 00:22:14,735 Well, you see on the first takeoff, 405 00:22:15,035 --> 00:22:18,172 uh, we weren't completely satisfied with the engines. 406 00:22:18,305 --> 00:22:20,891 {\an8}Any little bit of information that the press could get, 407 00:22:20,974 --> 00:22:22,609 {\an8}there was another headline. 408 00:22:23,143 --> 00:22:24,444 {\an8}It was relentless. 409 00:22:26,113 --> 00:22:28,643 So it must have been very difficult for him. 410 00:22:30,150 --> 00:22:33,787 NARRATOR: Two days after the crash, Reichel interviews Thain. 411 00:22:34,655 --> 00:22:38,091 After the accident, we established that the starboard wing 412 00:22:38,225 --> 00:22:40,460 had a layer of rough ice on it. 413 00:22:41,128 --> 00:22:44,348 The region of the propeller slipstream was free from ice. 414 00:22:44,431 --> 00:22:46,851 When I walked out of the aircraft on the first attempt, 415 00:22:46,934 --> 00:22:48,886 I could see the snow thawing on the wings 416 00:22:48,969 --> 00:22:50,855 and count the ribs of the aircraft. 417 00:22:50,938 --> 00:22:53,841 What do you say was the cause of the accident? 418 00:22:56,009 --> 00:22:57,495 My personal feeling is that there must have been 419 00:22:57,578 --> 00:22:59,730 a large quantity of snow built up at the end of the runway. 420 00:22:59,813 --> 00:23:00,881 (SCOFFS) 421 00:23:02,349 --> 00:23:04,879 Why were you sitting in the right-hand seat? 422 00:23:06,787 --> 00:23:09,790 (OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING) 423 00:23:13,594 --> 00:23:16,697 People began to speculate even before the inquiry 424 00:23:16,830 --> 00:23:18,249 about the cause of the accident. 425 00:23:18,332 --> 00:23:21,635 (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING) 426 00:23:21,768 --> 00:23:23,788 NARRATOR: Two months after the crash, 427 00:23:23,871 --> 00:23:25,472 in April 1958, 428 00:23:26,607 --> 00:23:28,960 a German inquiry formally gets underway. 429 00:23:30,210 --> 00:23:31,411 Shall I begin? 430 00:23:32,179 --> 00:23:34,265 MOSS: The German investigation, straight away 431 00:23:34,348 --> 00:23:37,284 it seemed to be into this adversarial role 432 00:23:37,417 --> 00:23:39,286 of somebody being on trial, 433 00:23:39,753 --> 00:23:42,456 um, and having to prove his innocence. 434 00:23:43,824 --> 00:23:46,410 MORRIN: Thain knew straight away that there's something going on here. 435 00:23:46,493 --> 00:23:48,788 He's on the ropes straight away, right? 436 00:23:50,163 --> 00:23:53,617 NARRATOR: Hans Reichel draws on witness testimony of snow on the wings 437 00:23:53,700 --> 00:23:57,004 and Thain's own account that he did not deice. 438 00:23:57,738 --> 00:23:59,924 And this is something that would not go away with Reichel 439 00:24:00,007 --> 00:24:01,713 is ice, ice, ice all the way. 440 00:24:02,009 --> 00:24:04,195 NARRATOR: The temperature the afternoon of the crash 441 00:24:04,278 --> 00:24:06,580 hovered around zero degrees Celsius. 442 00:24:07,014 --> 00:24:09,983 It wasn't cold enough for the snow to create ice. 443 00:24:11,151 --> 00:24:14,939 MORRIN: Thain saw the water actually dripping off the leading edge. 444 00:24:15,022 --> 00:24:17,241 So he knew the snow was actually melting 445 00:24:17,324 --> 00:24:19,076 so obviously that convinced him again 446 00:24:19,159 --> 00:24:21,545 that, uh, it just didn't require deicing. 447 00:24:21,628 --> 00:24:23,047 NARRATOR: But German experts note 448 00:24:23,130 --> 00:24:26,867 that the Elizabethan had just descended from 25,000 feet 449 00:24:27,601 --> 00:24:31,138 where the air temperature was minus 25 degrees Celsius. 450 00:24:31,438 --> 00:24:34,641 They conclude that snow falling on the frozen wings 451 00:24:34,775 --> 00:24:36,844 would have turned instantly to ice. 452 00:24:38,045 --> 00:24:39,630 Thain counters with the testimony... 453 00:24:39,713 --> 00:24:40,714 Deicing on. 454 00:24:41,348 --> 00:24:43,601 NARRATOR: ...that he turned on the wing deicing heaters 455 00:24:43,684 --> 00:24:45,285 on descent to Munich. 456 00:24:45,419 --> 00:24:49,323 That would have made the wings warmer, not colder than the air. 457 00:24:52,626 --> 00:24:54,962 Thain seems to have all the answers, 458 00:24:55,262 --> 00:24:56,730 but what he doesn't know 459 00:24:56,864 --> 00:25:00,718 is that Hans Reichel is about to present a controversial piece of evidence 460 00:25:00,801 --> 00:25:02,769 that will change everything. 461 00:25:04,204 --> 00:25:06,206 (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING) 462 00:25:06,340 --> 00:25:08,993 NARRATOR: The German government inquiry of the Munich disaster 463 00:25:09,076 --> 00:25:10,644 takes a decisive turn 464 00:25:10,777 --> 00:25:13,347 with the introduction of a casual snapshot. 465 00:25:14,648 --> 00:25:17,150 MOSS: This was potentially a smoking gun 466 00:25:17,451 --> 00:25:20,654 {\an8}because at first glance looking at the photograph, 467 00:25:20,787 --> 00:25:23,991 it appeared to show a white area, 468 00:25:24,124 --> 00:25:26,593 um, on the top of the wings 469 00:25:26,727 --> 00:25:31,231 which certainly was interpreted as being a layer of snow or ice. 470 00:25:32,132 --> 00:25:35,786 NARRATOR: Every other aircraft that left Munich that day was deiced, 471 00:25:35,869 --> 00:25:37,188 but not the Elizabethan. 472 00:25:37,271 --> 00:25:40,274 (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING) 473 00:25:45,779 --> 00:25:47,544 For investigator Hans Reichel, 474 00:25:47,648 --> 00:25:51,413 the crew's failure to deice is the leading cause of the accident. 475 00:25:52,119 --> 00:25:55,722 Apart from this icing, I can find nothing 476 00:25:56,156 --> 00:25:58,242 which might have been a cause for the accident 477 00:25:58,325 --> 00:26:00,460 or to have contributed to it. 478 00:26:02,062 --> 00:26:05,180 NARRATOR: As for the house at the end of the runway... 479 00:26:05,732 --> 00:26:08,686 Clearly, it was an issue because the aircraft struck it. 480 00:26:08,769 --> 00:26:12,490 NARRATOR: ...the impact and explosion did make the accident more deadly. 481 00:26:12,573 --> 00:26:15,943 But German authorities find that according to regulations, 482 00:26:16,310 --> 00:26:19,134 the house was a proper distance from the airport. 483 00:26:22,316 --> 00:26:26,070 Finally, investigators consider whether the engine boosting problem 484 00:26:26,153 --> 00:26:27,521 was a possible cause. 485 00:26:30,057 --> 00:26:31,425 Port is off the clock. 486 00:26:31,558 --> 00:26:34,094 (TIRES SCREECH) 487 00:26:34,228 --> 00:26:36,699 NARRATOR: The theory is quickly dismissed. 488 00:26:37,698 --> 00:26:41,285 MOSS: The boost issue, uh, had nothing to do with the accident. 489 00:26:41,368 --> 00:26:45,089 One of the engines was actually carrying a crude form of flight recorder, 490 00:26:45,172 --> 00:26:46,991 which indicted that during the run, 491 00:26:47,074 --> 00:26:49,957 the engines were certainly delivering enough power 492 00:26:50,944 --> 00:26:52,650 to get the aircraft airborne. 493 00:26:53,313 --> 00:26:55,983 (MAN SPEAKING GERMAN) 494 00:26:56,517 --> 00:26:58,519 NARRATOR: In March 1959, 495 00:26:59,152 --> 00:27:01,488 a year after the tragedy of Munich, 496 00:27:01,755 --> 00:27:04,697 the German government releases its official report. 497 00:27:05,759 --> 00:27:07,961 It lays full blame for the accident 498 00:27:08,262 --> 00:27:10,764 at the feet of Captain James Thain. 499 00:27:14,568 --> 00:27:15,569 Ice. 500 00:27:15,903 --> 00:27:19,573 {\an8}Ice on the wings, which they say was there before the accident. 501 00:27:20,174 --> 00:27:21,175 Simple. 502 00:27:22,776 --> 00:27:25,296 NARRATOR: The German investigation also suggests 503 00:27:25,379 --> 00:27:27,064 that by agreeing to switch seats... 504 00:27:27,147 --> 00:27:28,749 - Take us home. - Happily. 505 00:27:28,882 --> 00:27:31,302 NARRATOR: ...Captain Thain may have created confusion 506 00:27:31,385 --> 00:27:33,220 over which pilot was in charge. 507 00:27:34,354 --> 00:27:36,807 {\an8}And they said, "Captain Thain, he's the one responsible 508 00:27:36,890 --> 00:27:38,559 {\an8}for the deaths of 23 people 509 00:27:38,692 --> 00:27:41,692 and decimating the Manchester United football team." 510 00:27:44,998 --> 00:27:47,434 That is one hell of a burden to take on. 511 00:27:52,506 --> 00:27:53,924 I think in terms of the press, 512 00:27:54,007 --> 00:27:57,895 obviously, they like to have somebody that they can pin something on 513 00:27:57,978 --> 00:28:01,198 and to that extent they saw him as a little bit of a villain. 514 00:28:01,281 --> 00:28:03,050 (CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING) 515 00:28:04,852 --> 00:28:06,470 {\an8}He was definitely badly treated. 516 00:28:06,553 --> 00:28:08,422 {\an8}He was made the scapegoat. 517 00:28:10,958 --> 00:28:12,777 NARRATOR: A year after the crash, 518 00:28:12,860 --> 00:28:15,729 James Thain's reputation is in tatters. 519 00:28:16,029 --> 00:28:20,267 The former RAF officer and accomplished commercial pilot 520 00:28:20,400 --> 00:28:22,102 is now a full-time farmer. 521 00:28:23,504 --> 00:28:26,406 The disaster at Munich haunts him constantly. 522 00:28:27,541 --> 00:28:29,427 SEBUDA: I can remember Mum and Dad sitting up 523 00:28:29,510 --> 00:28:32,062 for all hours of the night talking about this 524 00:28:32,145 --> 00:28:34,648 because Dad was convinced 525 00:28:34,781 --> 00:28:37,351 that there had been some external force 526 00:28:37,484 --> 00:28:39,820 that had affected the takeoff run. 527 00:28:41,154 --> 00:28:43,207 NARRATOR: Thain is certain that ice on the wings 528 00:28:43,290 --> 00:28:44,825 did not cause the crash. 529 00:28:44,958 --> 00:28:47,429 He decides to launch his own investigation. 530 00:28:48,128 --> 00:28:52,299 Dad was a man of great integrity and fortitude 531 00:28:52,699 --> 00:28:55,288 and he was determined that he would make sure 532 00:28:55,402 --> 00:28:57,755 that he found the cause of the accident. 533 00:28:58,138 --> 00:28:59,840 NARRATOR: But in 1959, 534 00:29:00,140 --> 00:29:03,177 there are almost no forensic tools at his disposal. 535 00:29:03,977 --> 00:29:06,797 MOSS: For a start, of course, an aircraft of that size 536 00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:09,750 would have the benefit of a flight data recorder, 537 00:29:09,883 --> 00:29:12,937 a black box flight recorder and a cockpit voice recorder, 538 00:29:13,020 --> 00:29:15,889 and if we could have that information 539 00:29:16,023 --> 00:29:18,759 from the 1958 Munich accident, 540 00:29:19,293 --> 00:29:21,912 there would be absolutely no doubt about the cause. 541 00:29:21,995 --> 00:29:23,597 (RUMBLING) 542 00:29:24,097 --> 00:29:25,098 V1. 543 00:29:25,933 --> 00:29:28,268 NARRATOR: The plane reached 117 knots 544 00:29:29,102 --> 00:29:31,238 but then slowed dramatically. 545 00:29:32,206 --> 00:29:35,876 Ice on the wings can't explain that sudden loss of speed. 546 00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:41,615 But something else can, 547 00:29:41,949 --> 00:29:45,319 something Thain sees as the real cause of the crash... 548 00:29:47,688 --> 00:29:49,122 slush on the runway. 549 00:29:50,924 --> 00:29:53,844 So imagine you're driving on a dry road during the winter 550 00:29:53,927 --> 00:29:56,280 and you suddenly enter an area of slush. 551 00:29:56,730 --> 00:29:59,613 NARRATOR: Canadian Aviation expert Terry Townshend 552 00:30:00,901 --> 00:30:03,837 specializes in the study of runway contamination. 553 00:30:03,971 --> 00:30:06,736 {\an8}Immediately, you're gonna notice resistance, um, 554 00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:08,642 {\an8}on the vehicle from the slush 555 00:30:08,775 --> 00:30:11,070 and same thing happens on the aircraft. 556 00:30:11,612 --> 00:30:14,999 NARRATOR: Thain believes other planes didn't have slush problems that day 557 00:30:15,082 --> 00:30:18,436 because they took off on the first two thirds of the runway. 558 00:30:18,519 --> 00:30:21,321 Since the Elizabethan accelerated more slowly 559 00:30:21,455 --> 00:30:23,774 to compensate for the boost pressure problem, 560 00:30:23,857 --> 00:30:27,928 it rolled further into the unused part of the runway with deep slush. 561 00:30:28,462 --> 00:30:30,933 It takes more power to overcome that slush. 562 00:30:32,566 --> 00:30:34,718 {\an8}NARRATOR: Thain learns that nine years earlier, 563 00:30:34,801 --> 00:30:36,737 {\an8}a Trans-Canada Airlines plane 564 00:30:36,870 --> 00:30:40,007 {\an8}failed to take off on a slushy Vancouver runway. 565 00:30:40,774 --> 00:30:41,926 {\an8}MOSS: They did some research 566 00:30:42,009 --> 00:30:46,180 and found that as little as five centimeters of slush, 567 00:30:46,547 --> 00:30:50,384 uh, could really adversely affect the aircraft's ability 568 00:30:50,517 --> 00:30:52,019 to reach takeoff speed. 569 00:30:52,486 --> 00:30:53,737 NARRATOR: The Canadian government 570 00:30:53,820 --> 00:30:56,590 issued a letter of warning to all airlines: 571 00:30:56,723 --> 00:31:00,661 "Do not attempt takeoff in more than five centimeters of slush." 572 00:31:00,961 --> 00:31:02,896 MOSS: It was sent to BEA 573 00:31:03,030 --> 00:31:05,583 but for some reason best known to themselves, 574 00:31:05,666 --> 00:31:07,835 they did not take any action on it 575 00:31:07,968 --> 00:31:10,263 and filed it away for future reference. 576 00:31:11,405 --> 00:31:15,693 NARRATOR: The German investigators have dismissed slush as a possible cause, 577 00:31:15,776 --> 00:31:18,078 insisting it was ice on the wings. 578 00:31:21,648 --> 00:31:23,183 But through his research, 579 00:31:23,483 --> 00:31:26,086 Captain Thain uncovers a shocking omission. 580 00:31:27,855 --> 00:31:31,024 We quite fortuitously came across a witness 581 00:31:31,158 --> 00:31:34,127 who had made an inspection of the wreckage 582 00:31:34,261 --> 00:31:35,813 immediately after the accident. 583 00:31:35,896 --> 00:31:38,065 (OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING) 584 00:31:38,198 --> 00:31:41,728 NARRATOR: Karl-Heinz Seffer was among the first at the scene, 585 00:31:42,236 --> 00:31:45,456 climbing up on the wing to help pull Co-pilot Kenneth Rayment 586 00:31:45,539 --> 00:31:46,598 from the wreckage. 587 00:31:47,341 --> 00:31:49,812 He was later interviewed by investigators. 588 00:31:51,044 --> 00:31:53,898 KARL-HEINZ SEFFER: (IN GERMAN) I climbed down over the right wing. 589 00:31:53,981 --> 00:31:56,917 I noticed no ice on the fuselage or the wing. 590 00:31:57,050 --> 00:31:59,820 I was wearing rubber boots. No ice was present. 591 00:31:59,953 --> 00:32:01,836 Otherwise, I would have slipped. 592 00:32:03,757 --> 00:32:05,792 But when this report was read out 593 00:32:05,926 --> 00:32:07,750 to the first German Commission, 594 00:32:08,228 --> 00:32:10,063 only part of it was read out. 595 00:32:10,697 --> 00:32:13,200 That part which included the evidence 596 00:32:13,333 --> 00:32:16,303 that he couldn't find any ice, was left out. 597 00:32:17,771 --> 00:32:19,857 MORRIN: All this was set up. It was all stage managed. 598 00:32:19,940 --> 00:32:21,826 You know, Thain was gonna be made the scapegoat. 599 00:32:21,909 --> 00:32:26,145 It was gonna be ice on the wing. It wasn't gonna be runway contamination. 600 00:32:26,346 --> 00:32:28,466 NARRATOR: That's in spite of eyewitness accounts 601 00:32:28,549 --> 00:32:30,432 from the air traffic controllers 602 00:32:30,517 --> 00:32:32,753 which also supported the slush theory. 603 00:32:32,986 --> 00:32:37,191 B-line 6-0-9, your clearance expires at three-one. 604 00:32:37,324 --> 00:32:38,325 Time now is... 605 00:32:38,492 --> 00:32:40,594 MOSS: The most crucial eyewitnesses 606 00:32:40,727 --> 00:32:44,031 saw the aircraft start the takeoff run as normal. 607 00:32:44,531 --> 00:32:47,649 About halfway down the runway, they saw the nose lift, 608 00:32:48,635 --> 00:32:51,004 which would be standard procedure 609 00:32:51,138 --> 00:32:52,406 but then unusually... 610 00:32:54,441 --> 00:32:56,877 they saw it go back down onto the runway, 611 00:32:57,010 --> 00:32:59,012 which of course should not happen. 612 00:32:59,479 --> 00:33:03,832 NARRATOR: This crucial eyewitness evidence was also omitted at the inquiry. 613 00:33:04,284 --> 00:33:07,521 It's quite notable that the air traffic controllers 614 00:33:07,654 --> 00:33:10,991 that were called as witnesses were the trainee ones 615 00:33:11,124 --> 00:33:13,660 and that the qualified ones weren't called. 616 00:33:15,963 --> 00:33:19,283 NARRATOR: The only person to testify about slush on the runway 617 00:33:19,366 --> 00:33:21,190 was the Munich Airport manager. 618 00:33:22,169 --> 00:33:23,754 He said he inspected the runway 619 00:33:23,837 --> 00:33:26,837 and found the slush was less than a centimeter deep. 620 00:33:28,208 --> 00:33:29,727 Slush can be difficult to measure 621 00:33:29,810 --> 00:33:34,815 because it, uh, it can vary significantly in height across a runway. 622 00:33:34,948 --> 00:33:37,234 The slush can be one centimeter high in one place 623 00:33:37,317 --> 00:33:39,603 and it can be ten centimeters high in another, 624 00:33:39,686 --> 00:33:44,124 so a number of samples have to be taken 625 00:33:44,258 --> 00:33:45,910 in order to get a reasonable average. 626 00:33:45,993 --> 00:33:49,730 (OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING) 627 00:33:49,863 --> 00:33:51,982 NARRATOR: Also in question is Reichel's conclusion 628 00:33:52,065 --> 00:33:53,634 about ice on the wings... 629 00:33:56,236 --> 00:33:58,556 that it must have been there before takeoff 630 00:33:58,639 --> 00:34:01,592 since the only areas without ice were behind the propellers 631 00:34:01,675 --> 00:34:02,910 where it blew off. 632 00:34:05,479 --> 00:34:09,850 A scientific challenge to this view comes from a most unlikely source... 633 00:34:12,152 --> 00:34:14,388 Captain Thain's wife, Ruby. 634 00:34:15,122 --> 00:34:18,625 She was a remarkable lady being, uh, one of the first women 635 00:34:18,759 --> 00:34:20,978 to get a first class honors degree from Bristol 636 00:34:21,061 --> 00:34:22,613 in chemistry, physics and maths. 637 00:34:22,696 --> 00:34:24,898 (SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING) 638 00:34:25,032 --> 00:34:27,680 NARRATOR: A trained chemist, Ruby Thain points 639 00:34:27,801 --> 00:34:30,488 to the massive amount of fire-extinguishing chemicals 640 00:34:30,571 --> 00:34:32,454 sprayed on the burning wreckage. 641 00:34:34,408 --> 00:34:36,393 SEBUDA: She thought about this very carefully 642 00:34:36,476 --> 00:34:40,180 and she obtained a sample of fire extinguisher powder 643 00:34:40,647 --> 00:34:43,100 which turned out to be sodium bicarbonate, 644 00:34:43,183 --> 00:34:45,118 which is common baking powder. 645 00:34:47,521 --> 00:34:50,624 So she would go out and sprinkle it on the metal car, 646 00:34:51,024 --> 00:34:53,827 thinking it might simulate an aircraft wing... 647 00:34:55,329 --> 00:35:00,200 and found that if that mixed with snow and water, 648 00:35:00,334 --> 00:35:03,770 that this solution would freeze at a lower temperature 649 00:35:03,904 --> 00:35:06,963 than that that was recorded out at Munich that night. 650 00:35:09,276 --> 00:35:12,363 NARRATOR: Firemen trained their hoses mainly on the engines. 651 00:35:12,446 --> 00:35:17,217 Ruby's experiment could explain why ice did not accumulate in those areas 652 00:35:17,484 --> 00:35:21,543 but did build up on the rest of the wing in the hours after the crash. 653 00:35:21,889 --> 00:35:23,857 (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING) 654 00:35:23,991 --> 00:35:27,961 {\an8}With new eyewitness testimony and compelling scientific evidence, 655 00:35:28,095 --> 00:35:31,131 another side of the story begins to emerge. 656 00:35:32,533 --> 00:35:37,504 If it's ice on the wings, it's the captain's fault. He is to blame. 657 00:35:37,638 --> 00:35:38,639 V1. 658 00:35:39,873 --> 00:35:42,376 Of course, if it's slush on the runway, 659 00:35:42,643 --> 00:35:45,279 uh, then really it's the airport to blame. 660 00:35:45,412 --> 00:35:47,681 (OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING) 661 00:35:48,382 --> 00:35:50,317 (CRASHES) 662 00:35:52,519 --> 00:35:56,519 NARRATOR: Thain submits the new evidence to the German authorities... 663 00:35:57,057 --> 00:35:59,587 but they refuse to reopen the investigation. 664 00:36:01,795 --> 00:36:03,030 It's nonsense. 665 00:36:07,901 --> 00:36:12,773 NARRATOR: In 1961, BEA officially fires Thain, 666 00:36:13,273 --> 00:36:15,659 primarily for violating the company's policy 667 00:36:15,742 --> 00:36:17,845 against pilots switching seats. 668 00:36:19,346 --> 00:36:22,405 Well, they sacked him, and he was devastated by this, 669 00:36:23,083 --> 00:36:28,121 for something which was effectively a little company regulation 670 00:36:28,255 --> 00:36:30,255 but other people did that as well. 671 00:36:30,991 --> 00:36:32,409 MORRIN: BEA, obviously, if you think about it 672 00:36:32,492 --> 00:36:35,996 did not want a pilot like that on the flight deck. 673 00:36:36,597 --> 00:36:37,748 As you're about to take off, 674 00:36:37,831 --> 00:36:39,517 this is your captain speaking, Captain Thain. 675 00:36:39,600 --> 00:36:42,936 I'm the one responsible for 23 deaths at Munich in 1958, 676 00:36:43,070 --> 00:36:44,541 so no airline wants that. 677 00:36:45,372 --> 00:36:47,191 GREGG: A conviction of convenience. 678 00:36:47,274 --> 00:36:49,745 It didn't matter who they hung out to dry, 679 00:36:50,444 --> 00:36:52,033 and he was hung out to dry. 680 00:36:55,215 --> 00:36:58,469 NARRATOR: The loss of his job makes Thain more determined than ever 681 00:36:58,552 --> 00:36:59,686 to clear his name. 682 00:37:00,687 --> 00:37:04,642 He writes letter after letter to both the British and German governments 683 00:37:04,725 --> 00:37:07,078 urging them to reopen the investigation. 684 00:37:10,764 --> 00:37:13,166 In 1965, those efforts pay off. 685 00:37:13,300 --> 00:37:14,368 (SPEAKING GERMAN) 686 00:37:14,501 --> 00:37:16,954 NARRATOR: German authorities agree to review the investigation 687 00:37:17,037 --> 00:37:18,505 of the Munich disaster. 688 00:37:19,406 --> 00:37:21,258 Initially with the second German inquiry 689 00:37:21,341 --> 00:37:24,577 it was felt that, yes, there could be a glimmer of hope. 690 00:37:26,446 --> 00:37:29,799 NARRATOR: That hope has been stirred by some new research. 691 00:37:32,486 --> 00:37:35,663 NEWSCASTER: ...tests into slush carried out at Bedford. 692 00:37:36,690 --> 00:37:38,542 NARRATOR: Britain's Royal Aircraft Establishment 693 00:37:38,625 --> 00:37:42,129 has conducted slush tests on the Elizabethan aircraft. 694 00:37:42,663 --> 00:37:45,933 MOSS: Basically, they flooded a runway to varying depths 695 00:37:46,333 --> 00:37:51,071 and simulated a takeoff run, uh, using an Ambassador aircraft. 696 00:37:51,505 --> 00:37:54,608 The results of these tests were quite alarming. 697 00:37:55,576 --> 00:37:56,961 NARRATOR: In run after run, 698 00:37:57,044 --> 00:38:01,748 the plane decelerates from 117 to about 105 knots... 699 00:38:04,117 --> 00:38:06,687 the same loss of speed reported by Thain. 700 00:38:11,024 --> 00:38:13,778 CAPTAIN THAIN: We're hoping that when the Germans have considered, 701 00:38:13,861 --> 00:38:15,980 if they consider, all the relevant evidence 702 00:38:16,063 --> 00:38:19,233 we shall get them to reach the conclusion 703 00:38:19,366 --> 00:38:22,253 that the aircraft accident was due to slush on the runway 704 00:38:22,336 --> 00:38:23,807 and not ice on the wings. 705 00:38:25,272 --> 00:38:27,091 NARRATOR: But at the two-day hearing, 706 00:38:27,174 --> 00:38:29,710 Reichel is not swayed by the new evidence. 707 00:38:30,377 --> 00:38:34,047 Instead of clearing Thain, he condemns him further, 708 00:38:34,548 --> 00:38:38,819 saying that by switching seats, the captain actually made things worse. 709 00:38:41,255 --> 00:38:45,392 The differing assessment of the situation by the two pilots 710 00:38:45,993 --> 00:38:49,162 probably increased the severity of the accident. 711 00:38:50,130 --> 00:38:52,189 Christ! We're not going to make it! 712 00:38:52,666 --> 00:38:53,667 (CRASHES) 713 00:38:54,501 --> 00:38:56,020 MOSS: As an investigator these days, 714 00:38:56,103 --> 00:38:58,172 I can see no technical reason 715 00:38:58,305 --> 00:39:01,129 why that should have contributed to the accident. 716 00:39:01,608 --> 00:39:04,728 NARRATOR: The damning findings of the German Review Commission 717 00:39:04,811 --> 00:39:06,813 are a crushing blow to Thain. 718 00:39:07,748 --> 00:39:10,067 The British government knew, the airline knew and Thain certainly knew 719 00:39:10,150 --> 00:39:12,386 he'd been set up but nothing was done. 720 00:39:12,686 --> 00:39:14,628 NARRATOR: But in a strange twist, 721 00:39:14,755 --> 00:39:16,755 he's about to get one last chance, 722 00:39:18,425 --> 00:39:21,261 thanks to Britain's most powerful politician. 723 00:39:21,395 --> 00:39:24,398 (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING) 724 00:39:26,200 --> 00:39:27,785 COMMENTATOR: A hundred thousand expectant fans 725 00:39:27,868 --> 00:39:29,820 packed the stands to see great football. 726 00:39:29,903 --> 00:39:32,306 The Busby Babes were raring to go. 727 00:39:32,873 --> 00:39:37,477 NARRATOR: In 1967, Harold Wilson is Prime Minister of the UK. 728 00:39:38,111 --> 00:39:40,523 After attending a Manchester United game, 729 00:39:40,814 --> 00:39:43,851 he makes a comment that sets off a media frenzy. 730 00:39:45,152 --> 00:39:49,022 {\an8}He says he believes James Thain was a victim of injustice. 731 00:39:51,058 --> 00:39:53,823 It became another headline, "The Fight Goes On." 732 00:39:55,162 --> 00:39:56,614 Harold Wilson, he knew enough 733 00:39:56,697 --> 00:39:59,316 that Thain was innocent and he really took it on. 734 00:39:59,399 --> 00:40:01,218 It was debated in the House of Commons 735 00:40:01,301 --> 00:40:02,596 and then it went ahead 736 00:40:02,703 --> 00:40:05,174 and this was the most thorough inquiry yet. 737 00:40:05,339 --> 00:40:07,040 NARRATOR: In 1968, 738 00:40:08,141 --> 00:40:10,511 British investigators conduct a study 739 00:40:10,644 --> 00:40:13,213 to determine whether slush or wing ice 740 00:40:13,347 --> 00:40:14,936 caused the Munich disaster. 741 00:40:16,416 --> 00:40:19,370 Their findings immediately call into question the accuracy 742 00:40:19,453 --> 00:40:21,421 of the two German reports. 743 00:40:22,689 --> 00:40:26,960 Photographic analysis shows that the white on the wings is not snow. 744 00:40:27,895 --> 00:40:30,719 It was merely light reflecting off a wet surface. 745 00:40:32,266 --> 00:40:36,136 A new picture was taken from the original negative, 746 00:40:36,270 --> 00:40:39,740 which showed clearly the markings on the aircraft 747 00:40:39,873 --> 00:40:41,756 so there couldn't have been ice. 748 00:40:42,309 --> 00:40:44,795 NARRATOR: As well, three separate experts determine 749 00:40:44,878 --> 00:40:47,761 that the amount of ice Reichel found on the wings, 750 00:40:47,981 --> 00:40:51,687 five millimeters, would not have been enough to prevent takeoff. 751 00:40:52,319 --> 00:40:56,290 I don't see how, um, a layer of ice, 752 00:40:56,423 --> 00:40:58,071 even five millimeters thick, 753 00:40:58,158 --> 00:41:01,100 could account for the deceleration of the aircraft. 754 00:41:02,396 --> 00:41:05,483 NARRATOR: Then the British inquiry takes a dramatic turn 755 00:41:05,566 --> 00:41:07,534 when a star witness appears, 756 00:41:08,001 --> 00:41:12,206 Reinhardt Meyer, a pilot who was first on the scene of the crash. 757 00:41:12,339 --> 00:41:15,876 (SPEAKING GERMAN) I walked over and examined the wing 758 00:41:16,643 --> 00:41:20,264 of the wrecked aircraft and observed that there was nothing like frost 759 00:41:20,347 --> 00:41:21,782 or frozen deposit. 760 00:41:22,082 --> 00:41:23,784 It was melting snow only. 761 00:41:23,917 --> 00:41:27,094 It turned out when he was called, uh, to give evidence, 762 00:41:27,221 --> 00:41:30,608 uh, he said, "Well, I spoke to Reichel personally face-to-face 763 00:41:30,691 --> 00:41:32,843 and told him what had happened, that I'd gone to the aircraft. 764 00:41:32,926 --> 00:41:34,411 I'd looked for ice immediately after, 765 00:41:34,494 --> 00:41:36,480 within minutes of the crash and I found no ice, 766 00:41:36,563 --> 00:41:38,215 just melting snow only, and that was it." 767 00:41:38,298 --> 00:41:40,084 So everyone was astonished at this. 768 00:41:40,167 --> 00:41:43,756 NARRATOR: Reichel has no explanation for the glaring omission. 769 00:41:44,671 --> 00:41:46,757 I think he found it very difficult to back down 770 00:41:46,840 --> 00:41:49,209 and say, "Actually, I was wrong." 771 00:41:52,980 --> 00:41:54,031 MORRIN: Slush on the runway 772 00:41:54,114 --> 00:41:56,434 is going to be the German Airport Authority's fault 773 00:41:56,517 --> 00:41:58,694 and they're not going to accept that. 774 00:42:00,287 --> 00:42:02,289 NARRATOR: In March 1969... 775 00:42:02,422 --> 00:42:03,423 Good news. 776 00:42:03,590 --> 00:42:05,075 NARRATOR: ...eleven years after the crash. 777 00:42:05,158 --> 00:42:06,260 Finally. 778 00:42:06,393 --> 00:42:10,099 NARRATOR: ...the British government formally clears James Thain. 779 00:42:10,364 --> 00:42:13,834 Well, of course, my family are very pleased indeed. 780 00:42:15,836 --> 00:42:19,523 SEBUDA: Well, he knew that obviously this was the right findings 781 00:42:19,606 --> 00:42:21,325 and he was very pleased and happy 782 00:42:21,408 --> 00:42:23,794 because in this country, he'd been exonerated. 783 00:42:23,877 --> 00:42:26,747 NARRATOR: But BEA does not give him his job back. 784 00:42:27,214 --> 00:42:29,416 Captain Thain never flies again. 785 00:42:30,217 --> 00:42:33,276 In Germany, Hans Reichel and the aviation authorities 786 00:42:33,387 --> 00:42:34,855 never exonerate him. 787 00:42:36,323 --> 00:42:38,859 I think there was a huge amount of stress 788 00:42:39,326 --> 00:42:41,895 and strain and tension, 789 00:42:42,296 --> 00:42:43,708 and he died a young man. 790 00:42:43,830 --> 00:42:45,365 He was 54. 791 00:42:48,168 --> 00:42:50,771 (SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING) 792 00:42:50,904 --> 00:42:55,042 At Munich, there were 23 victims and Captain Thain was the 24th. 793 00:42:57,544 --> 00:43:01,721 NARRATOR: Ten years after the accident that killed eight of its players, 794 00:43:02,115 --> 00:43:05,118 Manchester United becomes the first English team 795 00:43:05,252 --> 00:43:07,120 to win the European Cup. 796 00:43:07,254 --> 00:43:10,374 COMMENTATOR: At last Matt Busby, the maestro of Manchester United, 797 00:43:10,457 --> 00:43:13,575 had groomed a team great enough to beat Europe's best. 798 00:43:13,794 --> 00:43:16,396 NARRATOR: A cup they might have won in 1958 799 00:43:17,197 --> 00:43:18,883 if not for an aviation disaster 800 00:43:18,966 --> 00:43:23,020 that devastated the finest team of players Britain had ever assembled. 801 00:43:23,103 --> 00:43:26,306 (CRASHES) 802 00:43:28,408 --> 00:43:32,679 Harry Gregg continued playing for Manchester United until 1967. 803 00:43:32,813 --> 00:43:36,450 Now in his 70s, he dwells only on the fond memories. 804 00:43:37,651 --> 00:43:39,003 GREGG: I don't think about it. 805 00:43:39,086 --> 00:43:41,288 I think about what I was part of. 806 00:43:42,189 --> 00:43:44,825 A team of wonderful, young spirited players, 807 00:43:44,958 --> 00:43:47,427 great journalists, great staff. 808 00:43:47,995 --> 00:43:49,701 Everything was good about it. 809 00:43:50,898 --> 00:43:52,416 NARRATOR: Captain Thain's legacy 810 00:43:52,499 --> 00:43:55,202 is modern aviation's improved understanding 811 00:43:55,335 --> 00:43:57,504 of the deadly effects of slush. 812 00:43:57,638 --> 00:44:00,240 (SWOOSHES) 813 00:44:00,374 --> 00:44:02,142 The problem is tackled now 814 00:44:02,276 --> 00:44:04,929 and I would suggest it was probably a direct result 815 00:44:05,012 --> 00:44:06,847 of, uh, the Munich accident. 816 00:44:06,980 --> 00:44:11,552 Airport authorities approach the problem very, very differently. 817 00:44:12,052 --> 00:44:14,321 By what he did forcing this issue, 818 00:44:14,454 --> 00:44:15,906 he's probably saved countless lives 819 00:44:15,989 --> 00:44:18,509 and prevented more than one Munich in that particular time 820 00:44:18,592 --> 00:44:20,661 so in that sense he's to be admired 821 00:44:20,794 --> 00:44:22,794 for what he did in those 11 years. 822 00:44:25,566 --> 00:44:27,451 SEBUDA: Mom was credited with saying, 823 00:44:27,534 --> 00:44:30,358 "A man with greater integrity I will never know," 824 00:44:30,838 --> 00:44:33,662 but he also left an inscription for me in a book, 825 00:44:35,242 --> 00:44:38,662 which is, "The difference between the impossible and the possible 826 00:44:38,745 --> 00:44:41,275 is merely a measure of man's determination." 827 00:44:42,449 --> 00:44:45,452 {\an8}(SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING) 828 00:44:46,420 --> 00:44:49,623 (GLOOMY MUSIC PLAYING)