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NEW YORK (CBS) ― New York Yankees fans will never forget where they were on Thursday, Aug. 2, 1979, the day Thurman Munson, their team's captain and catcher, died when the private plane he was piloting crashed in Canton, Ohio.

Munson: 'I Love To Fly'

At the time of the accident, Munson had become accustomed to commuting between Ohio and New York to spend time with his wife, Diane, and their three children.

His plane missed the runway at Akron-Canton Airport as he was practicing takeoffs and landings. Passengers Jerry Anderson and Dave Hall, Munson's flight instructor, survived the crash.

Federal investigators who looked into the crash placed part of the blame on Munson. The National Transportation Safety Board said he exercised "improper use of throttles and flight controls."

According to the NTSB, Munson likely had not mastered the techniques required to fly the type of jet that crashed, a twin-engine Cessna Citation that he owned.

The Federal Aviation Administration had granted him a single-engine license and three advanced ratings too quickly for a part-time flier, according to the NTSB. The results of the investigation exposed the blatantly lenient requirements for earning a pilot's license at the time.

Munson is one of three Yankees who have died in aviation accidents. Pitcher Jim Hardin died in 1991 when the propellor on his aircraft failed as he was making an emergency landing.

In October, 2006, Cory Lidle and his flight instructor, Tyler Stanger, died when the plane Lidle was piloting crashed into the Belaire Apartments on the Upper East Side. The NTSB determined that pilot error caused the crash.

CBS 2's Full Coverage Of The Cory Lidle Crash

After playing at Kent State University, Munson was selected by the Yankees in the 1968 amateur draft. He played in the minor leagues for one year before joining the major league club.

During his tenure with the Yankees, Munson earned American League Rookie of the Year honors in 1971 and was named the junior circuit's Most Valuable Player in 1976. At the time of his death, Munson was the only Yankee ever to hold both honors.

Munson served as captain from 1976 until his untimely death.

On the day after his death, before the start of the Yankees' four-game set with the Baltimore Orioles in the Bronx, the Yankees paid tribute to their fallen captain in a pre-game ceremony during which the starters stood at their defensive positions, save for the catcher's box, which remained empty. At the conclusion of Robert Merrill's musical selection, the announced crowd of 51,151 burst into a 10-minute standing ovation.

Steinbrenner: All Teammates Will Attend Funeral
Fans Mourn Munson With 10-Minute Standing Ovation

On Aug. 6, 1979, more than 500 people, including all his Yankees teammates, traveled to the Canton Civic Center to commemorate his life and career. Munson was eventually laid to rest in Sunset Hills Cemetery.

"He lived, he led, and he loved," teammate Bobby Murcer added at the memorial service.

That night, in front of a national viewing audience, the Yankees beat Baltimore 5-4 in New York, with Murcer driving in all five runs with a three-run home run in the seventh inning and a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth.

Not long after Munson's death, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner announced No. 15 would be retired. On Sept. 20, 1980, a plaque was dedicated in Munson's memory in Yankee Stadium's fabled Monument Park.

Munson will always be remembered on the field for his brash, no-nonsense approach to the game. His leadership was rarely questioned, though newcomer Reggie Jackson tried to wrest away control of the team when he arrived in the Bronx in 1977. The two men initially did not see eye-to-eye, with Jackson uttering the infamous words, "This team, it all flows from me. I'm the straw that stirs the drink. Maybe I should say me and Munson, but he can only stir it bad."

That quote led to a gigantic rift in the Yankees clubhouse, with many of the players and manager Billy Martin coming to the defense of their captain. Munson and Jackson eventually worked out their differences. Then, in a famous snapshot from the night the team remembered Munson, Jackson is seen in right field in tears.

A career .292 hitter, Munson was a seven-time All-Star and won three Gold Gloves. He led the Yankees to World Series championships in 1977 and 1978. New York did not win another title until 1996.

Out of sheer respect for his character and performance Munson's locker at Yankee Stadium remains empty to this day.

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