Aidan Mullen recounts surviving the 1986 Metallica bus crash

Aidan Mullen, a longtime guitar technician and former crew member for Metallica, recently shared details regarding the 1986 bus crash in Sweden that resulted in the death of bassist Cliff Burton.

Speaking on the ‘Beardo and Weirdo Podcast’, Mullen described the harrowing experience of being trapped in the wreckage. He noted that he was sleeping in a bunk above Burton when the bus hit black ice, spun, and flipped onto its side. Mullen recalled that the force of the impact caused the window to break, leaving him and Burton trapped within the window opening.

Mullen also noted that the accident contributed to changes in laws regarding the design and safety standards of tour coaches, specifically concerning interior configurations and window protections.