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A History of Air Disasters Involving Sports Teams A History of Air Disasters Involving Sports Teams
(about 1 hour later)
Plane crashes are almost invariably tragic, and they can be uniquely devastating when a sports team is involved.Plane crashes are almost invariably tragic, and they can be uniquely devastating when a sports team is involved.
That sense of loss was being felt deeply in Brazil on Tuesday after members of the soccer club Chapecoense de Brasil were killed on Monday when a chartered plane carrying the team crashed on the outskirts of Medellín, Colombia.That sense of loss was being felt deeply in Brazil on Tuesday after members of the soccer club Chapecoense de Brasil were killed on Monday when a chartered plane carrying the team crashed on the outskirts of Medellín, Colombia.
Here are some other crashes that have devastated sports teams around the world.Here are some other crashes that have devastated sports teams around the world.
A Fiat airplane carrying 31 people slammed into a mountain peak outside Turin, Italy, on May 4, killing 22 members of the Italian soccer club that carries the name of the city.A Fiat airplane carrying 31 people slammed into a mountain peak outside Turin, Italy, on May 4, killing 22 members of the Italian soccer club that carries the name of the city.
The crash convulsed the country and the city, the capital of the Piedmont region in northern Italy. The team had been regarded as one of the best of its era.The crash convulsed the country and the city, the capital of the Piedmont region in northern Italy. The team had been regarded as one of the best of its era.
The crash was considered one of the worst tragedies in the history of Italian sports. The psychological effects on Italian soccer were felt so strongly that a book detailing the tragedy was called The Day Italian Football Died.The crash was considered one of the worst tragedies in the history of Italian sports. The psychological effects on Italian soccer were felt so strongly that a book detailing the tragedy was called The Day Italian Football Died.
On Feb. 6, a plane carrying the Manchester United team crashed as it was taking off from Munich’s airport. Of the 44 people aboard, 23 died, including eight players and eight journalists.On Feb. 6, a plane carrying the Manchester United team crashed as it was taking off from Munich’s airport. Of the 44 people aboard, 23 died, including eight players and eight journalists.
To commemorate the tragedy, a clock at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester was kept frozen at 3:04 p.m., the time of the crash.To commemorate the tragedy, a clock at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester was kept frozen at 3:04 p.m., the time of the crash.
The crash would play a role in cementing Manchester United’s status, as the club rebounded and re-emerged as a dominant force in English soccer.The crash would play a role in cementing Manchester United’s status, as the club rebounded and re-emerged as a dominant force in English soccer.
The team, under the stewardship of Matt Busby, had won league titles in 1956 and 1957 with a young squad: The average age of the players was 24, earning them the nickname “the Busby Babes.”The team, under the stewardship of Matt Busby, had won league titles in 1956 and 1957 with a young squad: The average age of the players was 24, earning them the nickname “the Busby Babes.”
The 18-member team was on its way to the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague on Feb. 15 when the Sabena plane they were traveling on plunged into a field in Belgium.
The entire team was killed. The victims included Laurence Owen, 16, who had won the ladies’ division of the United States. Figure Skating Championships about a month before the crash.
The tragedy deprived the American team of its most glittering talent, and it took years for it to recover.
A Southern Airways DC-9, flying on Nov. 14 toward the Tri-State Airport in West Virginia, hit the tops of pine trees, crashed into a mountainside and exploded.
There were no survivors among the 75 people onboard, and the crash amounted to the worst American sports team disaster in history: Thirty-eight members of the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team were killed.
The crash nearly prompted the university, in Huntington, W.Va., to discontinue its football program. The town was plunged into mourning, and it took weeks for it to hold all the funerals. The crash was the subject of a 2006 film, “We Are Marshall.”
A chartered DC‐3 carrying 31 people, including the basketball team from the University of Evansville in Indiana, crashed and burned on Dec. 13 after taking off in heavy fog and rain.A chartered DC‐3 carrying 31 people, including the basketball team from the University of Evansville in Indiana, crashed and burned on Dec. 13 after taking off in heavy fog and rain.
Among the dead were all of the team’s players and its coach, Bobby Watson, who had been in his first year with the team.Among the dead were all of the team’s players and its coach, Bobby Watson, who had been in his first year with the team.
The victims are commemorated with a statue called the “Weeping Basketball” in the Memorial Plaza at the university. “It was as great a tragedy for the city as it was for the university,” said Wallace Graves, the university president at the time. “Every bit as great. Basketball was the most prominent event in the city.”The victims are commemorated with a statue called the “Weeping Basketball” in the Memorial Plaza at the university. “It was as great a tragedy for the city as it was for the university,” said Wallace Graves, the university president at the time. “Every bit as great. Basketball was the most prominent event in the city.”
A Navy plane carrying Peru’s first-division soccer team Alianza Lima plunged into the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 8, killing 16 players and the team’s coach. The plane was returning to the capital from a game in Pucallpa, a jungle city 355 miles northeast, where Alianza had moved into first place with a 1-0 victory.A Navy plane carrying Peru’s first-division soccer team Alianza Lima plunged into the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 8, killing 16 players and the team’s coach. The plane was returning to the capital from a game in Pucallpa, a jungle city 355 miles northeast, where Alianza had moved into first place with a 1-0 victory.
Even though Alianza was all but destroyed in the crash, the club forged ahead with the rest of the season, emboldened by players who came out of retirement to help fill the ranks.Even though Alianza was all but destroyed in the crash, the club forged ahead with the rest of the season, emboldened by players who came out of retirement to help fill the ranks.
Zambia’s national team traveled to Dakar on April 27 to play Senegal in a match to qualify for the World Cup. The plane never arrived. It crashed over the Atlantic after refueling in Libreville, the capital of Gabon. Eighteen players and five officials from the team were killed.Zambia’s national team traveled to Dakar on April 27 to play Senegal in a match to qualify for the World Cup. The plane never arrived. It crashed over the Atlantic after refueling in Libreville, the capital of Gabon. Eighteen players and five officials from the team were killed.
The country and the team were forced to grapple with the tragedy, along with the gaping hole left in Zambian soccer. In 2012, Zambia won the Africa Cup of Nations in Libreville, a moment of resilience that was dedicated to those who lost their lives.The country and the team were forced to grapple with the tragedy, along with the gaping hole left in Zambian soccer. In 2012, Zambia won the Africa Cup of Nations in Libreville, a moment of resilience that was dedicated to those who lost their lives.
A Russian airliner chartered by one of the country’s elite hockey teams, Yaroslavl Lokomotiv, crashed during takeoff on Sept. 7 near the city of Yaroslavl, killing all but two of the 45 people on board, including 27 players, two coaches and seven club officials.A Russian airliner chartered by one of the country’s elite hockey teams, Yaroslavl Lokomotiv, crashed during takeoff on Sept. 7 near the city of Yaroslavl, killing all but two of the 45 people on board, including 27 players, two coaches and seven club officials.
Lokomotiv was a three-time Russian champion. The crash not only represented a huge setback for Russian hockey, but shone a spotlight on Russia’s history of air safety problems.Lokomotiv was a three-time Russian champion. The crash not only represented a huge setback for Russian hockey, but shone a spotlight on Russia’s history of air safety problems.
The crash resonated around the globe. The victims included Brad McCrimmon, the Canadian coach; Pavol Demitra, the captain of the Slovakian national team; and three members of the Czech national team, Jan Marek, Karel Rachunek and Josef Vasicek.The crash resonated around the globe. The victims included Brad McCrimmon, the Canadian coach; Pavol Demitra, the captain of the Slovakian national team; and three members of the Czech national team, Jan Marek, Karel Rachunek and Josef Vasicek.