On August 2, 1979, The Yankees lost their catcher and captain Thurman Munson in a flying accident. He was just 32 years old.
Munson had been flying for over a year and owned a Cessna Citation I/SP jet so he could fly home on off days to see his family in Canton, Ohio. He was practicing takeoffs and landings, known as touch-and-goes, at the Akron-Canton Regional Airport with friend Jerry Anderson and flight instructor Dave Hall. On the third attempt, the aircraft sank too low before Munson increased engine power. He hit a tree causing him to fall short of the runway and collide with a tree stump.