Madsen
03-02-2008, 17:34
Mindre en time efter flyulykken I Munchen den 6. februar 1958 kom denne rapport fra Peter Howard via telefon til Daily Mail.
I am phoning the terrible news. Manchester United's plane has crashed at Munich. We were just taking off. We had only just got off the ground. Can you hear me? I'm all right. I feel a bit wobbly. Tell my wife I'm okay. Please let her know. It's all a bit mixed-up at present, but Bobby Charlton, Albert Scanlon and Ray Wood are injured and have gone to hospital. Most of the crew are safe. Harry Gregg, the United goalkeeper, looked to be okay when I saw him just after the crash, but I haven't seen him since. We had a pleasant trip from Belgrade. Everyone was happy and laughing and joking because we were coming home and United were in the semi-final.
It was snowing when we landed at Munich. We went off for refreshments and then we went back to the aircraft to continue the flight. I was sitting in the second row of seats on the starboard side of the aircraft with Ted Ellyard, who wired my pictnres of the game from Belgrade. When the pilot tried to take off, there seemed to be some kind of slight fault with the engines. He stoppcd. Then he tried a second take-off. That didn't seem satisfactory, so he taxied back to the apron to get things checkcd up. It was on the third take-off that we crashed. I think we were about the end of the runway, only a bit above the ground.
The plane suddenly appearcd to be breaking up. Seats started to crumble up. Everything seemed to be falling to pieces. There was a rolling-over sensation and all sorts of stuff started coming down on top of us. There wasn't time to think. Everybody seemed to be struck dumb. No one cried out. No one spoke. Just a deadly silence for what could only have been seconds. But it seemed a long time. I can't remember whether there was a bang or not. Everything stopped all at once. I was so dazed that I just scrambled out. Then I found Ted Ellyard and I were still together. We found a hole in the wreckage. We crawled out on our hands and knees.
As soon as I got clear, my first instinct, quite frankly, was to run away. I was terrified. But I managed somehow to stay put. I turned round and there was big Harry Gregg, who had also managed to get out. He seemed unhurt too. Anyway, his voice was in working order for he was shouting, 'Come on lads, let's get stuck in.' That got us going. Gregg, Ellyard, two stewardesses, the radio operator and myself went back into the wreckage. It was a terrible mess. It made me want to shut my eyes. I was conscious of the same deadly silence that was there just before the crash. We turned to and did what we could.
I saw Captain Thain, one of the crew, get hold of a hand fire extinguisher; he started putting out small fires. It looked as if all those who had been sitting in the forward part of the plane were the lucky ones who got out. The luckiest of all were in the backward-facing seats, sitting with their backs to the crew's cabin. I looked round to see if there was anyone I knew. I saw Captain Rayment, a member of the crew, trapped in the cockpit, but later he was released.
A Yugoslav woman passenger and her small baby were pulled clear by Harry Gregg and the radio operator, Rodgers. I couidn't see anytbing of my friend Eric Thompson, the Daily Mail sports writer and I'm just realising what an awful thing it is. Everybody had done all they could just before I left the wreckage. It suddenly came to me that I had taken some picturcs before take-off. I looked for my camera but I couldn't find it. There was wreckage all over the place. It covered an area of more than 150 square yards. Part of the airliner's engines had gone forward some distance and hit a small house, which burst into flames, but the fuselage did not catch fire - that was the fuselage part that I was in - apart from the small fires which Thain put out.
I wish I could say what had happened to the rest of the party. I didn't see Matt Busby after the crash. Now I am thinking about my wife, Pam. She is bound to be worried. Please tell her I am safe. I can't tell you what my phone number is here. They're refusing to accept calls. I think I am perfectly all right but they are insisting I go into hospital. I’ll have to go now but the sooner I can get back to Manchester the better. My mind seems stunned. I wish I could tell you it was not so bad. I'm afraid some have gone for good, but it was all over quickly. There was no panic. It makes me feel proud of United. These lads were my friends. I have been everywhere with them. I shall never forget this. I shall have to pack up now, they want to drag me off to hospital. See you soon.
Peter Howard som var fotograf for Daily Mail, døde den 12. februar 1996.
I am phoning the terrible news. Manchester United's plane has crashed at Munich. We were just taking off. We had only just got off the ground. Can you hear me? I'm all right. I feel a bit wobbly. Tell my wife I'm okay. Please let her know. It's all a bit mixed-up at present, but Bobby Charlton, Albert Scanlon and Ray Wood are injured and have gone to hospital. Most of the crew are safe. Harry Gregg, the United goalkeeper, looked to be okay when I saw him just after the crash, but I haven't seen him since. We had a pleasant trip from Belgrade. Everyone was happy and laughing and joking because we were coming home and United were in the semi-final.
It was snowing when we landed at Munich. We went off for refreshments and then we went back to the aircraft to continue the flight. I was sitting in the second row of seats on the starboard side of the aircraft with Ted Ellyard, who wired my pictnres of the game from Belgrade. When the pilot tried to take off, there seemed to be some kind of slight fault with the engines. He stoppcd. Then he tried a second take-off. That didn't seem satisfactory, so he taxied back to the apron to get things checkcd up. It was on the third take-off that we crashed. I think we were about the end of the runway, only a bit above the ground.
The plane suddenly appearcd to be breaking up. Seats started to crumble up. Everything seemed to be falling to pieces. There was a rolling-over sensation and all sorts of stuff started coming down on top of us. There wasn't time to think. Everybody seemed to be struck dumb. No one cried out. No one spoke. Just a deadly silence for what could only have been seconds. But it seemed a long time. I can't remember whether there was a bang or not. Everything stopped all at once. I was so dazed that I just scrambled out. Then I found Ted Ellyard and I were still together. We found a hole in the wreckage. We crawled out on our hands and knees.
As soon as I got clear, my first instinct, quite frankly, was to run away. I was terrified. But I managed somehow to stay put. I turned round and there was big Harry Gregg, who had also managed to get out. He seemed unhurt too. Anyway, his voice was in working order for he was shouting, 'Come on lads, let's get stuck in.' That got us going. Gregg, Ellyard, two stewardesses, the radio operator and myself went back into the wreckage. It was a terrible mess. It made me want to shut my eyes. I was conscious of the same deadly silence that was there just before the crash. We turned to and did what we could.
I saw Captain Thain, one of the crew, get hold of a hand fire extinguisher; he started putting out small fires. It looked as if all those who had been sitting in the forward part of the plane were the lucky ones who got out. The luckiest of all were in the backward-facing seats, sitting with their backs to the crew's cabin. I looked round to see if there was anyone I knew. I saw Captain Rayment, a member of the crew, trapped in the cockpit, but later he was released.
A Yugoslav woman passenger and her small baby were pulled clear by Harry Gregg and the radio operator, Rodgers. I couidn't see anytbing of my friend Eric Thompson, the Daily Mail sports writer and I'm just realising what an awful thing it is. Everybody had done all they could just before I left the wreckage. It suddenly came to me that I had taken some picturcs before take-off. I looked for my camera but I couldn't find it. There was wreckage all over the place. It covered an area of more than 150 square yards. Part of the airliner's engines had gone forward some distance and hit a small house, which burst into flames, but the fuselage did not catch fire - that was the fuselage part that I was in - apart from the small fires which Thain put out.
I wish I could say what had happened to the rest of the party. I didn't see Matt Busby after the crash. Now I am thinking about my wife, Pam. She is bound to be worried. Please tell her I am safe. I can't tell you what my phone number is here. They're refusing to accept calls. I think I am perfectly all right but they are insisting I go into hospital. I’ll have to go now but the sooner I can get back to Manchester the better. My mind seems stunned. I wish I could tell you it was not so bad. I'm afraid some have gone for good, but it was all over quickly. There was no panic. It makes me feel proud of United. These lads were my friends. I have been everywhere with them. I shall never forget this. I shall have to pack up now, they want to drag me off to hospital. See you soon.
Peter Howard som var fotograf for Daily Mail, døde den 12. februar 1996.