Vault: Yankees great Thurman Munson dies in plane crash in 1979

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The stunning death of legendary Yankees catcher Thurman Munson in a plane crash on August 2, 1979, still resonates all these years later.

Munson was using his Cessna Citation to commute between New York and Canton, Ohio, where his family lived. He was killed during a practice landing at the Akron-Canton Regional Airport. The two other men aboard the plane survived.

This is original Eyewitness News coverage of the tragedy, with Chee Chee Williams interviewing two of his fellow players, Graig Nettles, who had flown with Munson on the same plane weeks earlier. Nettles spoke of Munson's great love and enthusiasm for flying. Catfish Hunter, who said Munson was his best friend on the team, spoke to Chee Chee about why Munson was so private.

In a second report, sports anchor Warner Wolf describes Munson's excellence on the field. "He rarely gave you a bad ballgame."