Athletes fly often - to competitions, training camps, and training sessions. And representatives of team sports also travel together. Therefore, numerous cases from history modern sports, when a plane crash killed an entire sports team, are statistically quite explainable. But this in no way diminishes the pain of family, friends and fans. Today we remember the most tragic plane crashes in the history of sports.

The death of Yaroslavl "Lokomotiv"

Yaroslavl "Lokomotiv" has not achieved much success for a decade, since the former head coach Vladimir Vuytek left the team in 2003, having received a more lucrative offer from ex-rivals - Kazan Ak Bars. This, however, did not stop the team from starting each season with full dedication. At the start of the 2011–12 season, the team intended to follow the same course as a member of the Kontinental Hockey League. But on September 7, 2011, during a flight to Minsk for the first game of the season, almost the entire team died in a plane crash. The Yak-42 plane, on which the Yaroslavl Lokomotiv was flying, crashed a few seconds after takeoff from the Yaroslavl Tunoshna airport. One of the team's star players was Alexander Galimov, through whose efforts the team won seven wins and two defeats in the pre-season matches. It was Galimov who scored the last goal in the Lokomotiv games before the plane crash. Galimov survived the crash, but died in hospital five days later. The remaining players, as well as the coaches and technical staff of the team, died on the spot, as did the rest of the passengers and crew members, with the exception of crew engineer Alexander Sizov. The cause of the disaster was considered to be an error by the crew, who, as it turned out, were not sufficiently prepared to fly on machines of this type.

The plane crash that changed wrestling

This plane crash resulted in serious injuries to those involved and ended two careers. However, if the injuries of those who survived had been more serious, the entire sports and entertainment industry would have changed beyond recognition. Aboard a private Cessna 310 jet from Charlotte to Wilmington, North Carolina on September 4, 1975, were promoter David Crocket and four wrestlers - Mr. Wrestling II, Bobby Bruges, Johnny Valentine and Ric Flair. The plane crash was the result of an error by the crew, who incorrectly calculated the amount of fuel. As the survivors admitted, when the plane began to fall, they were sure that this was the end. However, the crash resulted in only the pilot being killed, who died from his injuries two months later. Valentine was paralyzed and his career ended. Bruges also retired from the sport, although he retained the ability to walk. Why could this disaster change the face of the industry? The fact is that Flair and Valentine, according to legend, were the "bad guys" who feuded with Mr. Wrestling, and the industry for a long time tried to hide the truth about the disaster by not telling anyone about Mr. Wrestling's participation in that flight. He himself, fortunately, managed to support the cover legend - remaining alive and well, Mr. Wrestling entered the ring just two weeks after the accident.

Grand Torino plane crash

Italian, and perhaps world football, has never known a team with such undeniable superiority over its rivals as Grand Torino, the nickname given to the team of the Italian football club Torino in the 1940s. The team won five consecutive national cups and continued to win until a plane crash on May 4, 1949, claimed the lives of 18 players and 13 team employees. Grand Torino was a hand-picked team: the owner of the Torino club, Ferrucio Novo, was one of the first specialists in the world of sports to put the search for talent on a professional basis.
The Torino club won league titles from 1941 until 1949, with the exception of 1945-45, when the national championship was not held. In the 1949 championship, they were also considered the undisputed favorites until the day of the plane crash that occurred during the return of the players from a friendly game in Lisbon. The cause of the accident was the error of the pilot, who lost control in bad weather conditions. The National Football Federation ultimately decided to award the team the 1949 championship title as a sign of the highest justice: after all, if that unfortunate accident had not happened, the team would undoubtedly have received it.

Busby Babes plane crash in Munich

"The Busby Babes" who came to big football from the youth school, the students of Manchester United head coach Matt Busby were very young - they were all barely over twenty. However, students youth team Manchester, who had played together since childhood, were a close-knit professional team, and after joining the main team they won the English Championship twice - in the 1955-56 and 1956-57 seasons. The fans adored them not only for their talent, but also for the fact that they were all students of the club, and not players bought from other clubs, which was becoming fashionable at that time. Alas, their success was interrupted by a plane crash in Munich on February 6, 1958, in which eight key team players were killed and two more were seriously injured. The plane, trying to take off during a snowstorm, barely took off from the ground and soon crashed. The disaster made such a depressing impression on the British that even the Queen expressed personal condolences not only to the relatives and friends of the victims, but also to the people of England as a whole.

American figure skating team dies in plane crash

In 1961, figure skating was at the peak of its popularity in the United States. Leader of the national team figure skating, Lawrence Owen, even appeared on the eve of the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague on the cover of the most popular Sports Illustrated magazine. Two days after the magazine was published, Owen and the rest of the national team were tragically killed in a plane crash in Brussels. The plane carrying the skaters to Europe exploded during an abnormal landing. All 72 passengers, including the national team athletes and members of their families, died instantly. The only survivor was a dog flying in the luggage compartment. The figure skating world was shocked. The World Championships in Prague were canceled after news of the disaster, and the Americans were so shocked that they lost interest in figure skating for a long time, undermined by bad memories. Even President Kennedy was so shocked that his brother, Senator Robert Kennedy, spoke to the people on his behalf with words of condolences.

Death of the "Strongest"

It was not for nothing that the Bolivian team “The Strongest” had such a self-confident name: it really shone in the national championship for many years. In September 1969, the team flew to friendly match in Santa Cruz. Having played, the “Strongest” football players flew to their homeland, the city of La Paz, on a DC-6 plane on September 26, 1969. But it was on this day that a military coup took place in the country. In the confusion, the plane with the football players mysteriously disappeared from radar and was discovered only a day later, having crashed near the village of Viloko. All passengers - 81 people - were killed, including 17 football players, the team coach and manager, and a technical employee.

Death of the Marshall University American Football Team

For the small town of Huntington, West Virginia, 1970 was marked by the success of the local Marshall University team. American football"The Thundering Horde" Being a team local significance, "Horde" rarely traveled by plane, and the joint flight on November 14, 1970 was almost the first in its practice. The investigation was never able to figure out why the plane crashed. There were 37 team members on board, including 9 coaches, and a number of fans. Considering the number of deaths, this disaster is considered the largest tragedy in the history of American sports.

The death of "Pakhtakor"

The death of the Pakhtakor football team is perhaps the most famous tragedy in history. Soviet sports. Tashkent Pakhtakor was one of the most successful football teams in the USSR. On August 11, 1979, the team flew on a TU-134 Minsk plane to a meeting with Dynamo Minsk. The controller noticed too late that the plane was dangerously approaching another TU-134 in the air. He gave the planes the command to disperse, but the command was not accepted by the crews - and the wing of one of the planes pierced the fuselage of another. This caused both cars to explode in the air. All 178 passengers on both flights were killed, including 17 Pakhtakor players and coaches. According to rumors, Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev flew on that day, which caused confusion on the air routes. Despite the tragedy, the surviving Pakhtakor players returned to the field just 12 days after the tragedy to continue playing in the USSR Championship, thus paying tribute to their fallen comrades.

Evansville Basketball Players Death

In 1977, the University of Evansville basketball team was preparing for a difficult start to the season. The team's main problem was the departure of coach Arad McCutcheon, who had worked with the team for many years. McCutcheon was very popular in Evansville: Time magazine even called him "the pride and passion" of the local basketball team. But the Purple Aces were not going to give up, although the season started poorly: three losses to one win. However, the team members were determined when they went to play the University of Central Tennessee on December 3, 1977. The flight was delayed for several hours due to bad weather conditions. When the plane did take off from the ground, it stayed in the air for only a minute and a half, after which it crashed to the ground. Among the causes of the disaster, it was later named, in particular, overloading of the luggage compartment. 17 crew members died in the disaster. The University of Evansville later opened a "Crying Basketball" memorial in honor of the victims.

Death of the Zambian national team

The 1993 Zambian football team was considered the best in the country's history. Football has always been popular in this African country, especially during the reign of President Kenneth Kaunda, who spared no expense in its development. After Kaunda's removal, there was less money, but the national team, despite poverty, remained one of the best in Africa. However, the team had to cut back on everything, including travel costs. To fly on qualifying match World Championship with the Senegal team in Dakar, the team had to rent a Zambian Air Force plane. Alas, the national air force was in a deplorable state. On April 27, 1993, during a flight, one of the plane's engines caught fire. The pilot made a fatal mistake by turning off the second engine, after which the plane completely lost control and crashed. All 18 players on board were killed.

American boxing team plane crash

As you know, the US team, among 65 countries in the world, boycotted the Moscow Olympics-80. However, the US boxing team would not have been able to take part in the event anyway. Olympic competitions due to a terrible plane crash that occurred on March 14, 1980, which claimed the lives of 14 athletes and 8 team members. The boxers were heading to a competition in Poland when their plane crashed on approach to Warsaw. A total of 87 passengers died in the disaster. Experts consider Pan American Games champion Lemuel Steeples to be the best of the crashed athletes.

Death of the "Eleven Motley"

These Dutch footballers of Surinamese origin were true humanitarians: they played in charity matches, thus raising funds to work with children from socially disadvantaged areas, involving them in sports and helping them find the right path in life. They were called "the motley eleven" - as a sign that they brought bright colors into the lives of children from the poorest families. In fact, there were more team members - only about two dozen people. The next charity match with their participation was to take place in the capital of Suriname, Paramaribo. But it did not take place: fifteen team players died in a plane crash in Paramaribo on June 7, 1989, which killed 176 passengers and crew members of a plane flying from Europe to South America. Two other members of the team, including Dutch football legend Ruud Gullit, abandoned the flight at the very last moment and were therefore saved. As it turned out later, the crash occurred due to the fact that the plane touched the top of a tree while landing at Paramaribo airport.

Hendrick Motosport team died in a plane crash

The death of a racer on the track, although rare, does happen, but the death of racers in a plane crash is an exceptional case. Meanwhile, this is exactly what happened on October 24, 2004, when 10 people from Team Hendrick Motorsport, including team owner Rick Hendrick's son, NASCAR driver Ricky Hendrick, his older brother and nieces. On this day, the team successfully took part in competitions at the Marysville speedway. The message about the disaster, which claimed the lives of 10 people, came just minutes after the news of driver Jimmie Johnson's victory on the track. The cause of the crash would later be attributed to a combination of pilot error and foggy weather difficult to fly.

Oklahoma Cowboy plane crash

In November 2011, the Oklahoma women's basketball team lost head coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna. They and two other passengers were killed when a small private plane crashed while the coach and his assistant were returning home from a trip to recruit new players for their team. Kurt Budke was considered a real father by the girls on the basketball team, and his assistant was treated like a sister. In addition to them, State Senator Olin Branstetter and his wife Paula were killed in the crash. The most incredible thing is that after five years the commission investigating the disaster was unable to establish its cause. Senator Branstetter was at the controls of the plane and did not report turbulence or other weather-related problems to controllers. The version that the senator became ill and lost control of the car was also not confirmed. No technical faults were identified either. Why the plane crashed still remains a mystery.

Death of the Oklahoma Cowboys

The long history of tragedies associated with the University of Oklahoma began in January 2001, when 10 members of the university's men's basketball team were killed in a small private plane crash. The team was returning home after a loss to the Colorado Buffaloes to regroup and get ready for their next games. But the plane's pilot became disorientated during a snowstorm, and the plane crashed to the ground. Oklahoma Cowboys players and fans still remember the fallen players and coaches with the mournful anthem “Remember the Ten.” In addition, there is a memorial on campus in honor of those who died, and sports competitions are held every year in memory of those who died.

On February 6, 1958, a British European Airways plane carrying players from the English team Manchester United crashed at Munich Airport. On this day, we decided to remember five plane crashes in which athletes died.

In the 40s of the 20th century, the Turin team provided real competition to their city neighbors from Juventus. Moreover, Torino was one of the best Italian teams of the post-war era, especially after winning the national championship three times (1946, 1947, 1948). In total, taking into account the break during the war period, Torino won the Scudetto five times. At the time of the tragedy, the club was again leading the championship by four points.

The tragedy occurred on May 4, 1949, when the team was returning home from Portugal, where they were defeated by Benfica in Lisbon with a score of 3:4. On board the Fiat G.212CP aircraft were 18 Torino football players, as well as the club management and several journalists - a total of 31 people. At the same time, in Barcelona, ​​where the plane with the Torino players was landing to refuel, the Turin football players met and talked with their championship rivals - the Milan players.

The plane crashed very close to Torino. Due to heavy fog, the pilots lost orientation in space and crashed into the fence of the Catholic Basilica of Superga, after which the airliner turned sharply and fell down at high speed. All people on board died. The only surviving Torino player from that period was Lauro Toma, who did not fly with the team to Lisbon due to an injury.

The eminent British club suffered much smaller losses compared to Torino. More than half a century ago, on February 6, 1958, a British European Airways plane carrying players from the English team Manchester United crashed at Munich Airport. On board the airliner were the club's players, Manchester United management, as well as fans and journalists - only 23 out of 44 people.

The plane crash with the Mancunians occurred on the way from Belgrade, where the team played a match against the local Red Star in the Champions League. The plane refueled in Munich and then tried to take off, but this was prevented by increased vibrations in the left engine. The second attempt also ended in failure. The third attempt to take off was prevented by the onset of snowfall, due to which the airliner lost speed. The left wing of the plane hit a nearby house.

21 people on board died instantly, the rest lost consciousness. Subsequently, the pilot was named as the culprit of the disaster, but ten years after the disaster he was acquitted due to the fact that due to the snowfall that began at the time of the third takeoff, a large amount of snow formed at the end of the runway, which caused the decrease in the speed of the airliner.

US Figure Skating Team February 15, 1961

In 1961, 18 of the best U.S. figure skaters were scheduled to compete in the World Championships, which were to be held in Prague. On February 15, the athletes, along with coaches, officials and relatives, boarded the new Boeing 707. The plane took off from J. Kennedy Airport to Brussels, where the US team had a transfer to Prague.

A few hours later, the airliner crashed in a wooded area near the village of Berg, near the Belgian capital. All 72 people on board were killed, as well as one person on the ground. The 1961 World Championships in Prague were cancelled. Among the victims of the tragedy were Maribel Vinson-Owen - trainer American team and her daughters Laurence and Marybelle are members of the U.S. Figure Skating Team.

Investigators found no signs of problems on board. Why, at an altitude of less than 300 meters, the Boeing engines suddenly increased power and the already extended landing gear retracted back is still unknown. The plane crash dealt a heavy blow to American figure skating; only in 1968 did new champions emerge in the United States.

In Soviet times, Pakhtakor was an extremely strong team in the All-Union Championship. However, on August 11, 1979, events occurred that are written in black letters in the history of the club. The Tu-134 plane, in which the team was flying to Minsk for the next USSR championship match with Dynamo Minsk, collided with a similar plane at an altitude of 8400 meters above the Ukrainian Dneprodzerzhinsk. One of the planes was heading from Chelyabinsk to Chisinau, the other from Tashkent to Minsk.

All 178 people on both planes died (94 in the Moldavian and 84 in the Belarusian). Among the dead were 17 Pakhtakor players.

Despite the tragedy, the Soviet leadership decided to help the team by transferring players from other clubs, as well as maintaining their “registration” in Major League USSR, regardless of the results of performances, for a period of three years.

On September 7, 2011, a Yak-42 plane took off from Tunoshna airport, with Lokomotiv HC players on board. They were heading to the capital of Belarus, where the next day a game was scheduled with the local Dynamo. This was supposed to be the first match of the Yaroslavl team in the 2011-2012 Kontinental Hockey League season.

During takeoff, the airliner was unable to gain a safe altitude, crashed into the antenna of a lighthouse located behind the runway, and fell near the airport. There were 45 people on board the plane, of whom only crew member Alexander Sizov survived. Doctors fought for several days for the life of hockey player Alexander Galimov, who miraculously escaped from the rubble, but his injuries were initially incompatible with life.

Immediately after the plane crash, the KHL management suspended the championship for several days; no one thought about the further fate of the team at that moment. Soon it was decided that Lokomotiv would return to the KHL only in the 2012/13 season, and the team would skip the current season.

Later, the IAC named the direct cause of the disaster as involuntary pressing of the brake pedals during the take-off run of the aircraft, made by the aircraft commander or co-pilot. It was never possible to determine which of them made the fatal mistake.

The tragedy happened in the morning, Moscow time, when the plane traveled most of the way to Medellin International Airport in the capital of Colombia, Bogota.

There were 81 people on board, of whom nine were crew members and 72 were passengers. Among the passengers were 27 Chapecoense football players, as well as members of the club delegation and journalists.

About the exact number of victims on at the moment is not reported, but in the club’s Facebook group, fans leave messages on the wall with the hashtag “live.”

The actions of rescuers are complicated by the fact that the plane crashed in a mountainous area, but one of the Colombian hospitals has already reported the admission of five passengers who survived the accident, and then another five.

Radio station 360 Radio Colombia reported that the crew of the charter flight signaled to ground services that the fuel level was low. The pilot decided to make an emergency landing, but the plane did not reach the nearest airport and crashed in the La Union area, 37 km from its destination - the city of Medellin.

In addition, the first photos from the scene of the incident appeared online. One of them shows the emblem of the Brazilian club.

According to the latest information, from ten to 16 people survived, and among them there are definitely three Chapecoense players: Alan Ruschel, Danilo Padilla and Jackson Vollman. It is reported that at least 25 people have already become victims of the tragedy.

The dispatchers became aware that the plane's electronics had failed even before the crash after a message from the pilot, who then circled over the ground for a long time, choosing a place for an emergency landing so that the plane would not explode on contact with the ground, which helped some passengers survive.

Chapecoense was founded in 1973, is a five-time champion of the state of Santa Catarina and is currently ranked ninth in the Brazilian Football Confederation rankings.

In 2013, the club from Chapeco, finishing second in Serie B, returned to the elite national division after 35 years.

Interestingly, first place in the Serie B championship that year was taken by the most titled Brazilian club“Palmeiras”, which this season, a round before the finish of the championship, scored its ninth victory in the Brazilian national championship.

It was in the match against Chapecoense, which currently occupies ninth place in the championship table, that Palmeiras won the title, winning with a score of 1:0.

Chapecoense, after returning to the elite, took first 15th and then 14th place and, at the end of the 2015 season, qualified for the second most important club tournament South America— Sudamericana Cup.

According to the tournament regulations, Brazilian teams will start in the second stage with confrontations with their compatriots. To get into the main draw, Chapecoense had to overcome the resistance of Cuiaba from Serie C, which was done, although not without difficulty (0:1, 3:1).

In the main round, Chapecoense first faced Argentina's Independiente and advanced to the quarter-finals after two goalless draws and a penalty shootout victory.

In the quarterfinals brazilian team beat the Colombian “Junior” (0:1, 3:0), and then in the semi-finals, thanks to a goal on a foreign field, was stronger than the Argentine “San Lorenzo” (1:1, 0:0).

In the final, Chapecoense was scheduled to meet another Colombian team, Atlético Nacional. The first meeting was scheduled for November 30 and was to take place in the capital of Colombia, and on December 7 the rivals were to play in Chapeco.

The fate of the final is currently unknown, but, apparently, CONMEBOL (South American football confederation) the confrontation will be canceled, and the winner will not be revealed this year.

The most famous football player Chapecoense is a midfielder who played for Atlético Madrid from 2007 to 2010.

The team's only foreign player, the 28-year-old Argentine, played 13 matches for the Spanish Villarreal in 2012, scoring one goal.

The most promising football player The team is a player of the Brazilian youth team, bought before the current season from Gremio by the German Hoffenheim, but loaned to Chapecoense.

Other news and materials can be viewed on the chronicles, as well as in the sports department groups on social networks

"Torino" was the strongest club Italy and one of the best in Europe. The team was returning from Lisbon, where they played Benfica. The disaster occurred near Turin, everyone on board, including the crew, died, including 18 football players.

Torino has not yet recovered from the consequences of this tragedy. For more than 60 years, the club has won the championship only once and won the Italian Cup twice, while spending 11 seasons in Serie B.

Manchester United

• Date: February 6, 1958.
• Number of deaths: 23 people.

Matt Busby's legendary team were returning from Belgrade from the second leg of the Champions Cup quarter-final against Red Star. The plane landed to refuel in Munich and then tried to take off, but two attempts were unsuccessful.

However, a third attempt was made, during which the plane left the runway at speed and crashed into a house. As a result of the impact and the resulting fire, 23 people died, including 8 “Busby babies.”

"Pakhtakor"

• Date: August 11, 1979.
• Number of deaths: 178 people.

A terrible disaster occurred over Dneprodzerzhinsk (now Kamenskoye) in the Dnepropetrovsk region of Ukraine. Large quantity casualties are explained by the fact that two TU-134 aircraft collided in the sky.

Among the dead were 14 Pakhtakor players, a doctor, an administrator and the team’s second coach, who were flying to Minsk for a championship match. After the tragedy, the Uzbek club received reinforcements from other teams, and the USSR Football Federation “insured” Pakhtakor against relegation from the major league for three years.

"Alianza Lima"

• Date: December 7, 1987.
• Number of deaths: 43 people.

The team of one of the most famous football clubs died under mysterious circumstances - for unknown reasons, the plane fell apart during a flight at sea. The only survivor, the pilot of the aircraft, did not help clarify the causes of the tragedy.

As a result, Alianza Lima ended the championship with a youth team, since the entire base flew on that ill-fated flight.

Dutch from Suriname

• Date: June 7, 1989.
• Number of deaths: 176 people.

These guys were playing different clubs and went to their historical homeland in order to take part in a local tournament like a hodgepodge - a kind of tribute to the land of their ancestors. There were 23 players in total on the team.

Due to an error by the pilots during landing, the plane hit a tree with its wing. Only 11 people survived, but there were no football players among them. And they were supposed to fly to this tournament, but the clubs didn’t let them go at the last moment.

Zambia national team

• Date: April 27, 1993.
• Number of deaths: 26 people.

The Zambian national team was flying to a qualifying match for the 1994 World Cup, and the flight was organized by the country's air force. During the flight, the engine caught fire and the plane crashed into the water.

There were no survivors in this disaster; among the dead were 18 national team players, two coaches, the president of the football federation and 5 crew members.

Chapecoense

• Date: November 28, 2016.
• Number of deaths: 86 people.

The Brazilian team was flying to Colombia for the first match of the Copa Sudamericana final against Atlético Nacional. While approaching Medellin airport, the plane crashed into a mountain. Only six people survived the disaster, one of whom, goalkeeper Danilo, later died in hospital.

At the suggestion of Atlético Nacional, COMNEBOL declared Chapecoense winners of the Copa Sudamericana.

The last two tragedies are separated by almost a quarter of a century. May the next break be eternal.

It's hard to remember this. But fate cannot be changed. Six years ago, at 16.00, a Yak-42D airliner crashed into the bank of the Tunoshonka River. That's how she died hockey team"Locomotive".

I remember that day as if it were now.

The season opened in Ufa, where the match for the Opening Cup took place between Salavat Yulaev and Atlant. An hour before the game, a press conference was held by the KHL president and sponsors. Everyone was in high spirits, because we had gathered for the holiday.
A quarter of an hour before the throw-in, we went to our places. Headed over to the computers...
And suddenly the terrible news began to spread like spilled ink on a white sheet of paper.

-Have you seen it? The plane carrying Lokomotiv crashed...

- It can’t be! How…

— What if there’s a mistake? Did someone launch a duck?

- There are no such ducks...

- Call someone from the team!

But the phones were silent. And the news was falling. Details, facts. It was very painful.

“At 16.00 near Yaroslavl, during takeoff from Tunoshna airport...”

All this happened in the room where the commentators sit. And below on the ice there was a game going on. Salavat Yulaev defender Andrey Kuteikin fired a beautiful shot from the blue line and scored the first goal of the season.

There, behind the glass, life was still in full swing. It was hockey. Maybe we were being played ridiculously after all?
But a cold whisper had already spread through the stands. The match was stopped. A pale Alexander Medvedev appeared near the owners’ shop. I will never forget his speech. And I can’t imagine how difficult it was to announce this to the whole world.

“Today a terrible tragedy happened. A plane carrying Lokomotiv hockey players, administrators and coaches of the club crashed. Of the 37 people, only one survived. We will decide whether to continue the match or not during the break. I ask you to honor the memory of the victims with a minute of silence.

Everything inside completely turned upside down and flew down somewhere. Many hockey players cried like children. They were taken to the locker rooms.

The Atlanta players went to church. Jan Marek, who competed in the final of last season, crashed. He moved to Lokomotiv so quickly that they did not have time to award him a silver medal.

The Swedes Fernholm, Zakrisson, Andersson cried - their friend Stefan Liv died. Slovakian Radivojevic lost Pavol Demitra. Alexey Kovalev was left without Alexander Karpovtsev and Igor Korolev. Konstantin Rudenko played for Lokomotiv, but in the off-season he moved to Mytishchi. This saved him...

It was terrible in Ufa, and Yaroslavl generally turned black from disaster. The torrential rain late at night was forever etched in the memory of the colleagues who were there. And the flashing lights of cars near the morgue of the Solovyov hospital, where the charred bodies of the players who were taken out of the river were brought. Identification was underway...

And hills of flowers grew next to Arena 2000. Photos of the guys, burning candles. No amount of rain could extinguish them.

There was a glimmer of hope that Alexander Galimov would survive. He was terribly burned and doctors tried to save him. Transportation to Moscow. But the miracle did not happen. Sasha left five days later...

That plane crash affected everyone, split the lives of families and many people into a spreading crack. Citizens of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Sweden, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia, and Canada died on that plane. Nine countries. And everyone was united by a common grief.

We need to remember September 7th. That's it, in detail. Come to the Leontievskoe cemetery in Yaroslavl. To other places where the guys found their final rest.

What can we give them now? Only memory. And respect. So, I cannot imagine why a school named after Ivan Tkachenko has not yet been built in Yaroslavl, over which the poor father of the Lokomotiv captain has been struggling for many years. The results of the investigation into why the plane crashed also raise questions. The tragedy was overgrown with rumors that turned into myths. But there is no clear answer...

Live for the sake of the living. And don’t forget the team that crashed on takeoff on that black Wednesday.

Eternal memory.

"Lokomotiv" -2011

Goalkeepers: Alexander Vyukhin, Stefan Liv.

Defenders: Vitaly Anikeenko, Mikhail Balandin, Robert Dietrich, Marat Kalimulin, Karel Rakhunek, Ruslan Salei, Karlis Skrastins, Pavel Trakhanov, Yuri Urychev, Maxim Shuvalov.

Forwards: Alexander Vasyunov, Josef Vashichek, Alexander Galimov, Pavol Demitra, Alexander Kalyanin, Andrey Kiryukhin, Nikita Klyukin, Jan Marek, Sergey Ostapchuk, Pavel Snurnitsyn, Daniil Sobchenko, Ivan Tkachenko, Gennady Churilov, Artem Yarchuk.

Trainers: Brad McCrimmon, Alexander Karpovtsev, Igor Korolev, Nikolai Krivonosov.

Staff: Yuri Bakhvalov, Alexander Belyaev, Andrey Zimin, Vyacheslav Kuznetsov, Evgeny Kunnov, Vladimir Piskunov, Evgeny Sidorov.

On September 7, 2011, Yaroslavl Lokomotiv was heading to Minsk for a match of the regular championship of the Kontinental Hockey League with the local Dynamo. The game, scheduled for September 8, was supposed to be the first for the Yaroslavl team in the new season.

The Yak-42 aircraft took off at Yaroslavl Tunoshna airport. The airliner was unable to reach a safe altitude (it rose 5-6 meters), crashed into a lighthouse antenna 435 meters from the runway and crashed to the ground. There were 45 people on board the plane, 43 died on the spot.

Among the dead were three Belarusians: hockey players Ruslan Salei And Sergey Ostapchuk and also a physical trainer Nikolay Krivonosov.

In September 2012, the Minsk publishing house Medisont published a book by sports journalist Sergei Olekhnovich about the Belarusian hockey player Ruslan Salei, “Simply the best. Simply the Best." True, its author did not live to see the publication of the work, leaving this world on July 27, 2012 at the age of 45. He managed to submit the book for printing and receive an advance copy.

On May 25, 2014, during the 2014 World Hockey Championship in Minsk, the former captain of the Belarusian national team Ruslan Salei was (IIHF).

Sergei Ostapchuk and Nikolai Krivonosov were buried on September 11, 2011 at the capital's Kalvariyskoe cemetery. In memory of Sergei Ostapchuk, a youth hockey tournament is held annually in his homeland in Novopolotsk.

Sitting in the back of the cabin were 26-year-old railway striker Alexander Galimov and aviation and radio-electronic equipment engineer Alexander Sizov. Both were not wearing seat belts, and during the crash they were thrown into the Tunoshonka River. When the athlete was found, he was conscious and was able to give his name to the police. He was hospitalized at the A.V. Vishnevsky Research Institute with burns to 90 percent of his body. Five days later he died.

Sizov was hospitalized with burns to 15 percent of his body, fractures of both hips, calvarium, ribs and injuries chest. On the day of the tragedy, he and Galimov were transported to Moscow on an Emergencies Ministry plane. At the Sklifosovsky Research Institute of Emergency Medicine, the victim was put into medicated sleep to avoid shock. Sizov recovered and then worked as an aircraft technician at the Yakovlev Design Bureau in Zhukovsky.

Lokomotiv was forced to spend one season in the Supreme hockey league(VHL), after which he returned to the KHL.