This was the most frightening Yankees moment I can remember… (Ed Botti)

This was the most frightening Yankees moment I can remember…

by Ed Botti

October 31, 2021

***

There are more than I’d like to remember, but not nearly as many as fans of other teams.

But, to me, there is always one moment.

I was a teenager in the summer of 1979. By far the most frightening or horrible moment in my time as a Yankees fan was August 2, 1979.

On that day an airplane proudly displaying the numbers NY15 crashed just short of the runway at the Akron-Canton Airport, approximately 50 miles due south of Cleveland.

The pilot, as we all know, was none other than Yankee Captain Thurman Munson.

The other two passengers on board were able to be rescued, but Thurman could not be freed from the plane before the Cessna twin-engine turbojet caught fire.

Thurman was using his Cessna to commute between New York and Canton where his wife and young children lived.

He was killed during a practice landing session.

To this day, I stop what I am doing every August 2nd, and spend a minute or so reminiscing about the great moments he provided to us fans, and my thoughts go out to his wife and children.

From my perspective, he was someone I looked up to and was proud that he was the Captain and the face of the franchise. He carried himself in a unique way, and was respected by all.

That by far was the worst day and frightening moment in my Yankee fan history.