The plane carrying Manchester United’s team aborted its first two take-offs on the icy runway in Munich on 6 February 1958. Still, the captain, James Thain, made a third attempt. Again, the plane – probably hampered by ice on its wings – couldn’t get airborne. This time it crashed through a fence and into a nearby house.
Harry Gregg, United’s goalkeeper, rescued multiple passengers. But of the 44 people on board, 20 died at the scene, and three more later. The victims included eight United players. In the following decade, a few of the survivors would resurrect the club. The novelist David Peace tackles this almost mythical story, in a historical novel that combines his familiar gifts with his familiar maddening flaws.
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