Munson's death shook the sports world in 1979. To understand just how special he was to Yankees fans and to the organization, keep in mind that he was the first captain of the Yankees since Gehrig. He died practicing takeoffs and landings in his new jet at his home airport in Canton, Ohio. Two men were with him, his friends Jerry Anderson and David Hall. They survived the crash. Anderson recounted the event years later. He noticed that on their final approach they were coming in lower than the other times. It soon became apparent that Munson would not be able to right the jet in time and it hit ground before the runway. When the plane finally came to a halt they were all conscious but Munson was pinned. His friends tried desperately to free him but couldn't. Even if they had been successful, it is doubtful he would have survived, as his neck was broken from the impact of the crash. This is Thurman's Student Pilot Certificate issued by the FAA that he carried with him while learning to fly. Signed "Thurman L. Munson" in NRMT ink at the bottom. Extraordinary piece was used by Thurman in 1978. One short year later his life would be over. Originally from the Munson Family archives.