On November 14 , 1970 the Thundering Herd traveled to Kinston , North Carolina via a Douglas DC-9 chartered to take the team , coaches , school officials , and boosters to the game against the East Carolina Pirates and back home . The Herd lost , 17 – 14 , on a controversial intentional grounding call against quarterback Ted Shoebridge on the last play of the game . En route back to Huntington , West Virginia , Southern Airways Flight 932 clipped some trees on approach to Tri-State Airport , and the plane crashed nearly vertically into a ravine short of the runway . All 75 people on board were killed , including 37 players and five of the eight coaches of the team
Southern Airways Flight 932
Southern Airways Flight 932
William "Red" Dawson