"No Glamour in Vengence"

Some stories would be entirely unbelievable, were it not for the fact that they just happen to be true.

That was my reaction upon hearing the story behind "The Ballad of Vitaly", the closing song on Delta Spirit's June release, "History from Below".  The song recounts the story of Vitaly Kaloyev, a Russian architect turned murderer turned folk hero who was convicted and imprisoned for the 2004 murder of air traffic controller Peter Nielsen.  Nielsen was the only official on duty on the night of July 1, 2002 when a passenger plane from Moscow to Barcelona collided with a cargo flight over German air space, killing all 71 people involved.  Included among the fatalities was Vitaly's wife and two daughters.

In the years following the crash, Kaloyev was unable to cope with his grief.  He became enraged by an offer made by Skyguide, the company in charge of managing the skies on the night of the crash, to financially compensate him for the lives of his loved ones.  Through a private investigator, Kaloyev tracked down Nielsen, whom he blamed for the deaths .  Vitaly confronted Peter Nielsen on the steps of his home in Kloten, Switzerland, where he lived with his wife and 3 children after retiring due to the stress associated with the crash.  Vitaly has said he doesn't remember much after seeing Nielsen face to face.  Hours after their meeting, however, Vitaly Kaloyev was found by police in a nearby hotel covered in blood.  Peter Nielsen was dead, stabbed to death on his front steps with his wife and children in the house.  Vitaly was sentenced to 8 years in prison for the murder.

Listen to the story on NPR's World Cafe about the Delta Spirit and the story behind the song.  Listen to the full song here.