The Forgotten Munich Air Crash Of 1960 - Tragedy In The Fog

What was meant to be a joyous trip home for the Christmas holidays turned to tragedy. A combination of bad weather and a frozen pipe were all it took to create a disaster right in Munich city center... Overshadowed by the 1958 Manchester United air crash, this is the story of Munich's other, forgotten air disaster......

Photo Credits: MM Archiv, Archiv BFM, FDNY, Wikimedia, Das Bundarchiv, Manfred Hoch, US Navy, AeroCorner (Alex J), Jeff Kigma, Edwin Bude, vg-photo

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Although focused primarily on disasters, this channel is all about the interesting, the strange, the unsolved, the tragic. Our world has a varied history full of terrible tragedies, bizarre tales, unexplained events, and extravagant people. I hope you enjoy some of the fascinating stories we have here.

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[zentran]

Oh my god. The part at the end about the man who survived later married the Nurse that helped him made me cry.

[Flame-Bright-Cheer]

I really appreciate the uplifting ending where you showed the young man who had been burned with his wife and currently alive and happy that was quite the tearjerker

[lucyschneider]

My big brother was one of the students on board. This is the first time I'm seeing this article. Thank you for a fair representation of this tragic disaster and keeping the memories of the victims alive.

[elliottprice]

This is what I like best about this channel. Forgotten tragedies being brought to light and remembered. The Manchester United disaster was a sad story, but this was too, as all the passengers were so young. RIP to all the victims of this diaster

[Hopeless_and_Forlorn]

I was eighteen years old and very conscious of the recent mid-air disaster in New York City as I passed through on my way to my duty assignment in Germany. A C-118 flew the group of us to Rhein-Mainz and buses took us on to the Eifel. I suppose the confusion of being in a foreign country and finding my way in my new assignment distracted me completely, because I have no memory of hearing about this disaster that occurred days after I arrived in Germany. I can only imaginer the horror of this tragedy for the citizens still recovering from the devastation of war. Years later, I discovered that the civilian version of the Convair in this disaster had a hidden flaw. The sump drain valves used for the daily drainage of water from the bottom of the fuel tanks were susceptible to being blocked by ice in cold weather. The mechanic attempting to drain the sump would find that no fluid came out when the valve was opened. He then faced the prospect of putting the airplane in a warm hangar, if one could be found, until the fuel warmed enough to melt the ice and allow it to drain. In the Munich case, he might have decided that the show must go on, and the minuscule amount of ice blocking the valve could cause no trouble. When I encountered blocked drains while maintaining civilian Convairs I developed the method of clearing the area and then removing the valve and quickly installing a new one while fuel ran over my bare arms, no matter the weather. But this was after the airplanes were converted to turboprop engines and jet fuel. The aviation gasoline in the Munich disaster was much too volatile to attempt this trick. And we will never know how much water was in its tanks.

[bz]

This was never forgotten by my husband. The despair in his voice when he did speak every now and then was heartbreaking, the horror never left him, the images, noise, silence and his utter helplessness haunted him. He felt this one far more so than the Busby Babes which he also witnessed .

[JWUniverse]

Imagine scared of being late for something to catch the train before it leaves only then have it nearly kill you. Then taken to the Hospital being in constant pain that a nurse helps you then you realize later in your life. This event brought you your future wife… That in itself is Amazing! RIP to the Victims but a very Happy Anniversary to you too when ever it may be!

[jenniferbrewer]

This is the first time I've seen this crash mentioned outside of books on disasters. Well done!

[Jenny]

I can’t believe this disaster isn’t more well known. It’s one of the worst I’ve ever heard about. Thank you for keeping alive the memories of the victims. I’m glad there was at least some happiness that came from this.

[PercyPruneMHDOIFandBars]

It's nice to see something good come out of such a terrible event.

[SteveB]

Love seeing videos made of these lesser known disasters. Another such disaster that I hope will be covered one day is the 1961 Holtaheia Vickers Viking crash, which happened just outside of Stavanger in Norway. At the time it was the worst air disaster to happen in Norway. The plane was a charter flight carrying school children from a school in Croydon - which back then was a part of Surrey. Everybody onboard were killed in the crash. The school where the children and their teachers came from was Lanfranc high school. I learned all about the crash when I became a pupil of the school in 1976. In the school grounds a new cricket pavilion was built in memory of the pupils and teachers who died. My daily walk to and from school involved walking through the local cemetery where there was a large memorial garden where all of the boys and teachers were buried. Other than through the school, or through the local papers, i have never seen the disaster covered anywhere else. 34 pupils, two teachers and 3 air crew lost their lives that day.

[patriciayoung]

I am amazed that such a tragic incident with such a wide-reaching impact on aviation over Munich could be so completely forgotten. Thank you for bringing this tragedy forward so it and the victims can be properly remembered.

[tinkertailor]

As a private transport for an American general and his staff, the plane was probably always fully fueled and on standby, so when he allowed its use for the students, that was the plane's fuel status. Fully fueled. It was probably seen as a plus, rather than a minus and in most cases it was. Even with half a fuel load, the results for the tram trolley would have been still the same.

[donmear]

I would love for you to do a video on the Frank Slide, the worst landslide in Canada. For years the town was warned by the natives that turtle mountain was moving, and the natives refused to settle the area because of it. Also a bunch of miners got trapped, and they just barely managed to dig their way out of the mines. Love your work!

[JohnDoe-efys]

I was 5 years old and living in Munich when this happened. While childhood memories are often distorted, I can still remember my parent taking me to the area immediately after the crash. I was too young to appreciate the tragedy, but I knew something terrible had happened.

[ChrisScott]

1 word for what you do. 'Brilliant'. I had never heard of this horrific tragedy & you tell the story in such detail as it must take you ages to gather all the material together & explain with such feeling for the victims.

[caseydykes]

This is literally the case of whatever could go wrong, did go wrong. the tram, the spire, the busy street. Absolutely heartbreaking

[ingvarhallstrom]

As the plane was put to use for the Major General Ernest Moore, it was most likely fueled up to the limit on his personal instruction so that his office would foot the bill for the transport. He was at the time Commanding General for the US forces in Great Britain, and would certainly have commanded a plane for his personal disposal. If he was kind enough to lend his plane to a bunch of students that wanted to meet their parents in the Air Force for christmas, nobody would question his prerogative, and nobody would blame him for it either.

[ripwednesdayadams]

I can’t believe I never heard about this. Things couldn’t have gone worse.

[chesspiece]

Yes I love when I see a Ravens Eye, Plainly Difficult, and Brick Immortar disaster upload notification. I just wish they happened more frequently and were longer, but I'm happy with any upload whatsoever.