"Torino", 1949

The Torino football club of the 1940s was a superclub of the Italian championship. From 1946 to 1948, he won three gold medals in the national championship. On May 3, 1949, a match between Torino and Benfica took place in Portugal, in which the Italian team lost to the Portuguese club with a score of 3:4. The next day, the Torino team took off from Lisbon in a three-engine Fiat G.212CP. There were 18 players, crew, club leaders and journalists on board, totaling 31 people.

The plane made an intermediate stop in Barcelona for refueling, where the Torino players met with fellow rivals from Milan. The Milanese were transferring to a flight to Madrid and were the last to see the Turintians alive. At about five o'clock in the evening, when there was very little left to the city of Turin, the plane fell into a zone of increased nebula, due to which the pilot lost his orientation in space. The plane hit the fence of the Superga Basilica built on the hill with its left wing, it turned around and high speed crashed into the ground. All passengers on board were killed. It was not without a happy accident for one of the players - Lauro Toma stayed at home and did not fly to the match with Benfica due to injury.

Players "Torino" posthumously became the champions of Italy.

Air Force, 1950

January 7, 1950 created by Vasily Stalin hockey team The Air Force crashed near Koltsovo airport near Sverdlovsk. In difficult weather conditions (blizzard, strong wind) the plane crashed. On board were 11 hockey players, a doctor and a masseur of the Air Force team, who were heading to Chelyabinsk for a match with the local Dzerzhinets, as well as 6 crew members. All 19 people died. By a lucky chance, the future captain of the USSR national football and hockey teams Vsevolod Bobrov was late for this plane. Versions of this delay are different: evil tongues said that the great athlete drank too much, and Bobrov himself nodded at his brother, who had set the alarm clock incorrectly.

Manchester United, 1958

On February 6, 1958, not only England, but the whole world was shocked by the tragedy that happened to one of the best teams in the world - Manchester United, nicknamed "Busby babies". Football players, coaches, several fans and journalists were returning from a European Cup match in Belgrade. A British European Airways aircraft was refueling in Munich.

Pilots James Thain and Kenneth Rayment made two takeoff attempts, but canceled both due to increased vibrations. Not wanting to be too behind schedule, Captain Thain declined to stay overnight in Munich, opting to make a third takeoff attempt. She turned out to be fatal. The plane broke through the fence at the end of the runway and crashed into a residential building. In this disaster, 23 people out of 44 on board were killed. The wounded were taken to the Munich hospital.

By the way, 22-year-old Whelan Liam, climbing the gangway before taking off, pointed out to his comrades the heavy snowfall and said: “We will probably die, but I am ready for this.” And Bobby Charlton, who survived this disaster, became the world champion after 8 years. 10 years after the disaster, Thain was fully justified.

USA national team figure skating, 1961

On February 15, 1961, a Sabena Boeing 707 flying from New York J.F. Kennedy Airport crashed while landing in the Belgian capital Brussels. All 72 people died, as well as one person on the ground. Among the dead was the US Figure Skating Team (34 athletes) on their way to the World Championships in Prague. This plane crash caused the World Figure Skating Championships to be canceled as a sign of mourning for the dead.

Pakhtakor, 1979

This is one of major disasters in aviation history. That day at 13.35 in the sky in the area Dneprodzerzhinsk At an altitude of 8400 meters, two Aeroflot Tu-134A collided, killing all 178 people on them.

Among the dead were 17 members of the Uzbek football club Pakhtakor, including 14 players, an administrator, a second coach and a doctor. The team flew from Tashkent to Minsk. After the plane crash, the club's squad was reinforced by players from other teams. Also, by the decision of the USSR Football Federation, Pakhtakor was guaranteed a place in major league regardless of the final result.

Holland national football team, 1989

On June 7, 1989, a Surinam Airways DC-8-62 crashed while landing in the Paramaribo area. The incident killed 176 people, 11 people survived. Among the dead were 14 Dutch football players of Surinamese origin, a coach, and the mother and sister of one of the athletes. They flew to Suriname for a three-club tournament. The plane took off from Amsterdam on June 6 at 23.25 local time. During the four hours of the flight, there were no emergency situations on board. During the landing approach, the pilot team received a weather report on favorable weather conditions at the airport of arrival. When landing, the pilots made a mistake, as a result of which, at a height of 25 meters, the right wing of the aircraft caught on a tree.

By the way, many Dutch players were not allowed to fly due to preparations for the upcoming season. Among the survivors are Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, Aron Winter, Brian Roy and some others.

Zambia national football team, 1993

April 27, 1993, 500 meters from the coast of the city of Libreville, the capital of Gabon, the plane crashed. On board was the bulk of the Zambia national football team heading to the 1994 World Cup qualifier against Senegal. The crash killed all 30 people on board (crew, 18 players, coach and staff). As a result, the weakened team took only second place in group 2 of the final stage of the qualifying matches.

During the first stop in Brazzaville, problems were discovered with the left engine, but the pilot decided to continue the flight. A few minutes after taking off from Libreville, the left engine caught fire and stopped. The pilot stopped the right engine, the plane finally lost thrust and fell into the water about 500 meters from the coast.

Lokomotiv, 2011

Exactly two years ago there was a terrible tragedy. Hockey team "Lokomotiv" from Yaroslavl flew from the airport "Tunoshna" to Minsk, where they were supposed to play with the local "Dynamo". The Yak-42 plane crashed after flying only 2.5 kilometers after takeoff. According to another version, the plane did not have enough runway. There were 45 people on board the liner: 37 passengers (crew and escort) and 8 crew members. 43 people died on the spot.

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Lokomotiv hockey players who died in a plane crash [by name]. On September 7, the Yaroslavl hockey team Lokomotiv got into a plane crash. The Yak-42 plane, on which the Yaroslavl hockey players flew to Minsk, where they were supposed to play with the local Dynamo, fell from a height of 500 meters immediately after takeoff. There were 45 people on board, 37 of them were hockey players.Antonina PANOVA

The whole country prayed for the health of hockey player Alexander Galimov, but a miracle did not happen, on September 12 he died at the Vishnevsky Institute of Surgery. Only flight engineer Alexander Sizov was able to survive this terrible disaster. By chance, two people were not on board, who were supposed to go to Minsk along with everyone else. Forward Maxim Zyuzyakin and goalkeeping coach Jorma Valtonen were left in Yaroslavl to work with the youth team.

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Reconstruction of the crash of the Yak-42 aircraft. On September 7, the Yaroslavl hockey team Lokomotiv got into a plane crash. The Yak-42 plane, on which the Yaroslavl hockey players flew to Minsk, where they were supposed to play with the local Dynamo, fell from a height of 500 meters immediately after takeoff. There were 45 people on board, 37 of them were hockey players.

5 more major disasters:

Hockey

On April 1, 1970, in the Novosibirsk region, an Aeroflot An-24B crashed, killing 45 people, including a youth hockey team that flew to the game of the Golden Puck tournament.

Basketball

On August 24, 2008, a Boeing 737-219 Advanced of ITEK AIR crashed. Among the passengers was the youth basketball team of Kyrgyzstan, heading to Tehran to participate in competitions. Ten team members died, seven survived.

Rugby

October 13, 1972 the aircraft "Fairchild Hiller FH-227 » The Uruguayan Air Force, flying Montevideo - Santiago de Chile, crashed into a mountain slope in the Chilean Andes at an altitude of 4000 meters. There were 45 passengers on board, including the Old Christians Club rugby team from Montevideo (Uruguay). Most of the passengers died. There was no food on board. As a result, 16 people survived, rescued on December 26. One of the documented cases of cannibalism in the modern world. The events are also featured in the movie Alive (1993).

American football

On November 14, 1970, at Tri State Airport in Ceredo, a Flight 932 mountain collision kills 75 people, including 37 members of the Marshall University team.

Motorsport

The death of the Embassy Hill Racing Formula One team - On November 29, 1975, Graham Hill's Embassy Hill Racing team, returning from the Circuit Paul Ricard, France, in a six-seat Piper Aztec aircraft, crashed in England while trying to make an emergency landing in conditions heavy fog. Almost the entire crew died in this plane crash. Graham Hill himself was at the helm, along with him on the plane were Tony Bryze, a promising British racer, team manager Ray Brimble, mechanics Tony Alcock and Terry Richards, and designer Andy Smelman.

Catastrophe

Las Vegas was one of the worst and most massive disasters in the history of motorsports. During the final round of the IndyCar Series championship, a total of 15 cars were damaged, some severely. And the famous pilot Dan Weldon, whose car crashed into a barrier at full speed, died.

The accident at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which occurred on the night from Sunday to Monday, Moscow time, was yesterday the central plot of many American TV channels. There is nothing surprising. No one has seen a catastrophe like the Las Vegas one in recent years.

The pilot Ryan Briscoe who participated in this race, speaking about his feelings, said that he seemed to be in a scene from the movie "Terminator": "There are pieces of metal all around, some debris, fire ..." And Danica Patrick, a woman who has been performing for a long time in the IndyCar championship on a par with men, she admitted that she had never been so scared as at the moment when the tragic events occurred, she had never been in her life.

They happened when 11 laps of this race were left behind, that is, just a few minutes after the start. However, forebodings that it could end badly, many arose long before him. The fact is that during the free races, the cars on the oval in Las Vegas developed some monstrous speeds - more than 350 km / h. And there were concerns that such a fast track could pose a safety hazard.

But, of course, no one would cancel it - too much in the race was at stake for IndyCar. Once upon a time, this American series competed in status and popularity with Formula 1, its essentially analogue. However, IndyCar's ratings have fallen in recent times. The executive director of the series, Randy Bernard, did not even rule out that he might resign: the board of directors made serious claims against him.

The final stage of the season was supposed to correct the situation. At least he promised a spectacular fight: the track is ultra-fast, two pilots are fighting for the title - Dario Franchitti and Will Power. A bonus of $5 million was supposed to provide additional intrigue. The organizers appointed such a reward to the driver who, without having a permanent place in any team in the season, dares to enter the race and win it.

Actually because of the bonus, Dan Weldon found himself on the track. AT this season he could not get a job in any team. "Stable" Andretti Autosport planned to conclude a full-fledged contract with him immediately after the end of the stage, and on Sunday counted on a good performance of the pilot in Las Vegas.

There were indeed reasons to count on him. 33-year-old Briton Dan Weldon, who has been living in America for more than ten years, was considered a star. In 2005, he won the championship title, won 16 stages of the series during his career. Two of them are the legendary Indianapolis 500, an iconic race in motorsport. For the first time he won it in 2005, the second time - this spring ... Before the race, he himself claimed that he hoped to come first: if only, starting behind the leaders of the championship, to get to them and grab the tail.

He almost made it when the car in front of him, driven by Wade Cunningham, touched the wheel of JR Hildebrand's car. "Indycar" races, in principle, differ from the "formula" races in the rigidity and density of the struggle. But the consequences of this contact were somehow unique in their destructiveness.

Hildebrand's car overturned, Cunningham's car crashed into a bump stop. And those who rode behind could no longer dodge. The next five seconds turned into seconds of real hell. Power miraculously survived crashing into the fence: he could well have been killed by his own wheel, which, having fallen off, almost ruined the cockpit. Pippa Mann was also on the verge of death, but got off lightly: together with Hildebrand, he ended up in the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Only Dan Weldon was unlucky. He ran into rear wheel Paul Tracy's car. The British car was thrown up as if on a trampoline, and it slammed into the fence with all its might, turning into a pile of blazing debris in an instant.

An ambulance arrived on the road promptly. Weldon was evacuated by helicopter to the hospital. The race was cancelled, but no one left the arena. Two hours later, the pilots and spectators were told the tragic news: Weldon did not survive.

American experts do not exclude that his death will entail changes in the IndyCar regulations - similar to those that the tragedy of 1994 entailed in Formula 1: then, within the framework of one racing weekend in San Marino, Roland Ratzenberger and the great Ayrton Senna crashed to death. The number of victims of "Formula 1" then reached 43 people, and the team went to tighten security at the expense of entertainment. As a result, there have been no fatal accidents since then.

IndyCar, despite the seemingly harsher format, has long been considered a relatively safe series. The list of pilots who died in it now has four people. However, all these tragedies have been within the past 15 years. In 1996, Scott Brighton crashed to death, in 2003 - Tony Renna, and in 2006 - Paul Dana.

Alexey Dospekhov

Accident with Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR: 83 victims

On June 11, 1955 at 6:26 p.m., the worst tragedy in motorsport history occurred. At the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race, at the end of lap 35, at full speed, he crashed into the podium of a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR, driven by French racer Pierre Levegh. The car shattered into pieces, its engine and other parts flew straight at the fans, and as a result of this accident, 82 people were killed and the racer himself.

Le Mans was founded by 82-year-old Charles Faro, who was the chief judge on that ill-fated day. How unpleasant a person felt when he saw such a picture, especially at the end of his life, two years later he was gone. It was hard to come to terms with the fact that it was on the races he created that this terrible disaster occurred.

Restoration of events

The cameras captured the moment when Mike Hawthorne, who was driving the Jaguar D-Type, suddenly decided to go to the pit lane and left no room for Lance McLean's car. Then McLean tried to go around Hawthorne, but unsuccessfully shifted to the left, and cut off Levega's Mercedes. I would like to note that seat belts were not used at that time, they began to be used in the 60s, but not only this fact could cause the death of the rider. After that, the Mercedes took off over the track, flew over the fence and flew straight into the stands with the audience. It was terrible to look at this picture, fragments of the car fell on people, then there was an explosion of a fuel tank, there was a serious fire. The flames intensified due to the fact that they began to extinguish the magnesium body of the Mercedes. The fire lasted for several hours and many spectators did not even understand what had happened, the competition did not stop so as not to raise a panic. By that time, it was necessary to provide access roads for ambulances.

The incident was also witnessed by one of the riders Juan Manuel Fangio, who was at that moment behind Levegh, Hawthorne and McLean. He said that Levegh understood everything that was happening, but he could no longer do anything, and therefore waved his hand at him. Fangio managed to slow down, which was his salvation. The chief of the racing team, Alfred Neubauer, who invited Levegh to participate in these competitions, upon hearing the first data on the death toll, immediately removed the cars from his team. At this time, Fangio was in the lead, but it was no longer important. As a result, Mike Hawthorne became the winner of the 1955 Le Mans race.

After this ridiculous horror story other competitions were also canceled, including four Formula 1 races. In Switzerland, a law was passed banning competitions involving motor vehicles. And the Mercedes-Benz team left motorsport for a long time, until 1987. Only on June 7, 2007, the ban was partially lifted, but racing at the Grand Prix in Switzerland is still prohibited. What caused such an accident remains a mystery to us, according to one version it was a conspiracy, according to another it was just an accident.

Last Sunday, October 16, during the Las Vegas Grand Prix - the final stage of the American IndyCar series - there was one of the biggest disasters in the history of motorsport. On the final stage 15 cars collided at the prestigious IndyCar race. As a result of a car accident, the famous British pilot, 33-year-old Dan Weldon, died.

(Total 15 photos + 1 video)

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2. Dan Weldon's car takes off after a collision. Keeping behind, Weldon at great speed approached the scene of a collision of several cars. It was impossible to go around them and, trying to slow down, he ran into the wheel of a car driving in front of him.

3. Dan Weldon's car explodes after hitting a fence.

4. Dan Weldon's burning wrecked car slides down the track after hitting a wall and exploding. Weldon died due to injuries incompatible with life. He was 33 years old.

5. Dan Weldon won the IndyCar title in 2005 and won the iconic Indianapolis 500 twice, including this season.

6. Dan Weldon with his family. The racing driver and his family moved from Britain to the States, where he has lived for the past few years.

7. The moment of the catastrophe.

8. In one of the largest accidents in the history of racing, about 15 cars collided, that is, almost half of those participating in the start.

9. Pilots who got into the thick of things later said that they had never seen anything more terrible in their lives.

10. It was decided to stop further races in Las Vegas.

11. According to preliminary data, the condition of the track could be the cause of the tragedy.

“, the site brings to your attention the 10 worst accidents that have occurred in the world of motorsport.

1. Formula 1. 1994 Grand Prix of San Marino. AyrtonSenna

Stage in Imola, perhaps, was the saddest for all fans of Formula 1. In 1994, during a race weekend, two riders died at once, one of which was three-time world champion Ayrton Senna. There are many rumors and versions about the reasons for the tragic death of the Brazilian Magician to this day, and the section of the track called Tamburello has become a synonym for danger and fear for all pilots for a long time. The history of the tragedy caused a reassessment of the safety standards of the “royal races” and cut short the magnificent career of one of the best pilots throughout the history of motorsport.

2. 24 Hours of Le Mans. 1955 Pierre Levegh

The accident that resulted in the death of Mercedes pilot Pierre Levegh and 82 spectators of the competition occurred in 1955 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans series. The German car, flying into the gravel fence, took off into the air and flew straight into the spectator stands, where a hail of car debris fell on the spectators. After this accident, the German concern left motorsport for almost 40 years.

3. Formula 1. year 2001. Australian Grand Prix. Jacques Villeneuve and Ralf Schumacher

The accident in 2001 at the Australian Grand Prix was overshadowed not even by the collision of the 1997 world champion and the brother of the “great and terrible” Schumacher, but by the subsequent tragedy, which was caused by ... a wheel from a Canadian racing car. As a result of a collision between two riders, a wheel flew off Villeneuve's car, which flew off at breakneck speed and hit the marshal of the track, who was responsible for the safety of the race. As a result hard hit an employee of the autodrome has died.

4. "Indy-500". 1964 Dave McDonald

The debut race for Ford driver Dave McDonald was remembered for a long time. As a result of the failure of the brakes, the driver's car crashed into the concrete fence of the track at high speed, which caused the car to catch fire. Huge clouds of smoke filled the entire track, blocking the view of the rest of the race. Having lost visual reference points, many racers found themselves in a massive blockage. The organizers of the competition had to stop and postpone the race for three and a half hours.

5. NHRA. 2005 year. Scott Kalit

In addition to the main racing series, and very unusual racing disciplines are rich in incidents. In 2005, during the qualifying races, Toyota driver Scott Kalit, driving at a speed of 450 km / h, did not notice spontaneous combustion of his own car. The resulting flames destroyed the brake parachutes and the rider's car flew into a gravel trap at the end of the track. As a result of his injuries, Kalit died in the hospital.

6. Formula 1. 2010 European Grand Prix. Mark Webber.

The European Grand Prix, held in Valencia, Spain, clearly demonstrated the latest achievements in safety in “ royal races". Pilot "Red Bull" Mark Webber, bypassing the circle of his opponent from the "Lotus" (now - "Caterham") Heikki Kovalainen, hooked on the rear axle of the Finn's car, and soared into the sunny Spanish sky. Taught by the bitter experience of the past, the automobile association responsible for the safety of racers proved that it is not in vain that it functions - two hours after the accident, Webber posed for photographers.

7. Formula 1. 1976 Nurburgring. Niki Lauda.

Three-time world champion Niki Lauda, ​​as well as his colleagues from other automotive sports disciplines, "marked" a burning car during the race. Having lost control, the driver's car at high speed hit the side railing of the track, as a result of which the car was quickly enveloped in flames, making a fireball out of the Ferrari in a matter of seconds. It is worth noting the courage of the Austrian - after the accident, the rider personally went on the track and warned his rivals about the wreckage on this section of the track.

8. Rally. 2011. Italy. Robert Kubica

Polish racer Robert Kubica, who competed in Formula 1 for Renault, became a victim of his own hobby. One of the athlete's favorite hobbies is rallying, to which the pilot devotes almost all of his time, free from performances in "big prizes". Having taken part in the Italian stage of the rally, the Pole's car was torn off at the entrance to the turn, as a result of which the car hit the track fence. The pilot received severe hand injuries, which practically put an end to Kubica's "formula" career. AT this moment, almost two years later, the rider continues the process of rehabilitation and still, from time to time, returns to the wheel of a rally car.

9. "IndyCar". 2011. Dan Weldon

One of the worst and most massive accidents occurred in 2011 during the legendary Indianapolis 500. The error of one pilot in the peloton caused a massive blockage on the track and cut short the life of two-time champion Dan Weldon.

10. Formula 1. 1978 Grand Prix of Italy. Ronnie Petersen.

The accident at the Italian Grand Prix in 1978 set a record for the number of cars involved in the blockage, which resulted in the death of one of the riders. Chaos and confusion in the peloton at the start of the race led to the fact that 11 riders were involved in a huge accident. Ronnie Petersen's car, as a result of collisions, flew off the track fence and caught fire. The pilot was pulled out of the burning car, but the next day the athlete died in the hospital.