Nutrition

Air Force hockey team killed in plane crash. In the sky near Sverdlovsk, the death of the Air Force hockey team. Death of the Zambian national team

On January 5, 1950, a Li-2 plane crashed while landing in Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg). 11 hockey players, a doctor and a massage therapist for the Air Force team, as well as 6 crew members were killed.

In the winter of 1946, the first USSR ice hockey championship started. The Air Force team, whose core was made up of athletes from one of the Moscow military schools, immediately declared itself loudly. Her first coach was young Anatoly Tarasov; a little later he was replaced in this post by Korotkov. By the autumn of 1949, the team of pilots had become significantly stronger; its composition was strengthened by players from Dynamo Moscow and Riga. Now any misfire of the Air Force was perceived very painfully by its patrons.

After Korotkov returned to the Zhukovsky Academy, the Air Force hockey players were led by Matvey Goldin, a famous pre-war Russian hockey player and sports fanatic. However, he did not last long at the helm of the team. Goldin was released from coaching duties a few days before the Air Force hockey players departed for matches in Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk. This happened under the following circumstances. The pilots lost in a fundamental match with Dynamo. The winners were dominated by Vasily Trofimov, who began playing Russian hockey in the Bolshevo labor commune, where Goldin worked as a coach before the war. When the teams headed to the locker room after the game, Matvey Iosifovich said to Trofimov: “Well, congratulations, Vasilek! Played great." Goldin did not notice that behind him was one of the patrons of the Air Force team, immensely upset by the loss. Hearing Goldin’s words, he flew into a rage: “Oh, so! Are you congratulating our enemies?!” The coach was fired that same day.

Two leading Air Force players, Shuvalov and Vinogradov, also did not go to the Urals. Viktor Shuvalov grew up in Chelyabinsk, played for the local Traktor in the first post-war years, and Ural fans considered his move to Moscow a betrayal. Therefore, the commander personally ordered Shuvalov not to be taken to the Urals, so as, as he put it, “not to tease the geese.” As for Alexander Vinogradov, he was disqualified for two games for attacking the goalkeeper. In addition, during training before leaving for the Urals, he received a slight injury. And one more important circumstance: the Air Force team is traveling to the Urals by train!

However, the new playing coach, Boris Bocharnikov, insisted on traveling by plane. An engineer by profession, a very smart and educated person, Bocharnikov is an obsessive athlete, honest and fair. Having headed the Air Force, he did not want to lose a single training day, and the train to the Urals at that time took almost three days. As a result, at the insistence of the coach, the hockey team was allocated a Li-2 plane for a charter flight.

On January 5, 1950, a plane with Air Force hockey players on board took off from the Moscow Central Airfield and headed for Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg).

The flight went well, but when landing at Koltsovo airfield, a tragedy occurred.

As the aviators said, the weather conditions in the area of the airfield were extremely unfavorable - a strong snowstorm with sharp gusts of wind. The Li-2 commander, Major Zotov, made two landing approaches, but this did not save him - the plane crashed into the ground, the crew and passengers died.

The investigation of the disaster was entrusted to F.F. Prokopenko, who served in the combat training department of the Moscow Military District.

According to Prokopenko, the disaster occurred due to a number of unfavorable factors. Firstly, difficult weather conditions in the Middle Urals region had an impact, which is why a number of airfields were closed and all planes were sent to the Koltsovo airfield. But here, too, the weather is at the limit of the meteorological minimum. Secondly, the negative consequences of the departmental approach were fully revealed: local air traffic controllers started landing “their own” passenger planes first. To prevent the military Li-2 from interfering with these “boards,” it was sent to the holding area, to the upper echelons. The wait lasted quite a long time; During this time, it became dark, intense turbulence continued, passengers on board began to show anxiety, and the crew became nervous. The hockey players huddled in the tail, which created certain piloting problems for such a small aircraft.

A few kilometers from the Koltsovo airfield there was another, poorly equipped runway at the Aramil airfield, which had its own radio drive with frequencies close to those of the Koltsovo airfield and with a close approach course. It was this that the navigator of the Li-2 mistakenly tuned in to. Major Zotov, an experienced pilot, passing through this drive, did not find the landing strip; went to the second round. Having descended again, he turned on the spotlight, which, in conditions of intense snowfall, created a “screen” similar to a luminous wall. This was the final, fatal circumstance.

At the scene of the disaster they found a twisted pile of metal, as well as several pairs of hockey skates with monstrously curved blades. A silver ruble from the 20s, broken in half, was used to identify the team doctor, Galperin. He always carried this talisman with him, which, alas, did not save him from death. A deck of playing cards was preserved in one of the pieces of aircraft skin: Boris Bocharnikov is an inveterate preference player.

Several great hockey players died along with Bocharnikov. Their names were preserved not only on the obelisk erected near the Sverdlovsk Koltsovo airfield, but also in the history of Russian hockey.

Ivan Novikov, a very fast, assertive and technical winger. Czech Zdenek Zigmund, an honest, open guy who was especially loved by the team. The younger brother of Anatoly Tarasov is Yuri, a war veteran who was nicknamed Bagration in the sports world for his portrait resemblance to the famous commander. Two residents of Riga: the goalkeeper of the USSR national team Harry Melloups and defender Robert Shulmanis, who back in bourgeois Latvia played for the famous Baltic All Stars team, is an elegant player with a powerful throw.

Yuri Zhiburtovich already had the rank of captain and was a third-year student at the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy. At 29 years old, he said that he was playing for the last season. Yuri lived in one of the houses behind the Dynamo stadium, not far from the Central Airfield. Zhiburtovich was late for this ill-fated flight - this, however, happened to him often, he was even called “kopushnik”. To catch the plane, the hockey player ran with all his might through Petrovsky Park and this time, although lathered, he arrived on time.

The second Air Force goalkeeper Viktor Isaev, forward Alexander Moiseev, team doctor Galperin and masseur Galkin also died in the plane crash.

The famous Vsevolod Bobrov was also planning to fly with the team, but he was not on the plane. How and why - this question caused controversy for a long time, until - quite by accident - everything was finally clarified.

Before this, a widely spread version was that Bobrov was late for the plane because of a banal feast. Independently of each other, some literary figures, artists, military men, trade and catering workers swore and swore that it was they who saved Bobrov. They say that Sevka and I spent too much time in a restaurant, and when we realized it, the plane had already taken off. The stories are similar to each other, only the names of the restaurants have changed.

Many people, even in the sports world, argued that Bobrov still rushed to the airfield, but five minutes after the plane took off into the sky. Anatoly Vladimirovich Tarasov recalled a story told by someone that Bobrov allegedly even ran after a plane rolling along the concrete. “If they had seen him from the windows, then, of course, they would have stopped taxiing,” Tarasov believes.

Andrei Vasilyevich Starovoitov, a former player of the CDKA hockey team, and then one of the best Soviet hockey referees, says that Bobrov still showed up at the airfield on time. But there were still a few days left before the matches in the Urals, so Vsevolod asked Bocharnikov: “Why are we flying so early?” Bocharnikov replied: “We’ll train there.” Bobrov just shrugged: “Whoever doesn’t know how to play, let him train, and I’ll go by train.” And left. True, when talking about this episode, Starovoitov added that he himself had not been to the airfield and was speaking from hearsay.

The version of Viktor Shuvalov and Alexander Vinogradov looks much more plausible. The fact is that just at this time Bobrov was moving from the CDKA team to the Air Force team - he had not yet played a single match for the pilots. And therefore, according to Shuvalov, Vsevolod did not intend to fly to the Urals on January 5, because he did not have time to hand over his hockey equipment to the administrator of the army team. He had to settle accounts with the old club, and in the evening leave for Sverdlovsk by train. Vinogradov adds that Vsevolod has not yet completed the paperwork to transfer to the Air Force. Since there was time left before the matches in the Urals, Bobrov was going to settle all the administrative and economic matters related to the transition to the new club.

And yet, even Shuvalov and Vinogradov are wrong: Bobrov still had to fly in the crashed plane.

But when there are already several versions, where is the guarantee that one more is the only correct one? Such a guarantee exists: everything that happened to him on January 5, 1950, was once told by Vsevolod Bobrov himself. In 1953, he decided to write a book of memoirs - alas, it was only twelve pages long. But Vsevolod Mikhailovich began his manuscript precisely with a description of how he miraculously escaped a plane crash in which the Air Force team crashed.

Everyone, including himself, forgot about these twelve pages written by Bobrov. But, paradoxically, they all survived! Three decades later, it became possible to find out what happened to Vsevolod Bobrov on January 5, 1950, from a text written by the athlete himself, and this is an indisputable document. However, first it would be useful to refute previously known versions with the help of specific facts. As for the restaurant feasts that allegedly saved Bobrov’s life, the question here is clear: the plane took off from Moscow at 6 o’clock in the morning, and there simply could not be any delays associated with friendly lunches or dinners. The version that Bobrov did not have time to formalize his transfer to the Air Force team is also not confirmed: this transfer took place before the New Year. Vsevolod already had the right to play for the Air Force team, which means he had to fly with it to the Urals.

But what actually happened? Vsevolod Mikhailovich, in the outline of his memoirs entitled “Captain of the Olympic Teams,” testifies: “What I am now going to talk about is so strange and unusual for me, and the events are so painful that when I remember about it, what happened a lot years ago, stands before my eyes so clearly and vividly, as if it were a few days ago. Just before the New Year, an order was signed for my transfer to the Air Force of the Moscow Military District. A new team, new comrades, among whom there are many outstanding hockey players - all this is interesting, but I was looking forward to the first games in the new team with particular interest. A few days after the New Year, I and my team are supposed to fly to the Urals, Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk: the next games for the USSR hockey championship were coming up there.

The flight is scheduled for 6 am. As I remember now, when I came home, I set the alarm clock for 4 o’clock in the morning. And besides, I told my younger brother Boris to wake me up when he heard the alarm clock ringing. But, waking up at 7 o’clock in the morning, I saw that the alarm clock had stopped at night, and my brother was sleeping soundly. Overslept! And the guys probably flew away. What to do now? And as if in response to this, someone desperately began calling the apartment. It was the administrator of the hockey team N.A. Kolchugin.

- Mikhalych, are you sleeping?

- I overslept, Nikolai Alexandrovich. What should we do now?

- Well, what should we do? We'll go by train in the evening. Just be home, and I'll go get the tickets! I'll call you from the station.

“Yes, I thought, it turned out badly, and something happened to the alarm clock.”

Boris Mikhailovich Bobrov, who worked for many years in the USSR Ministry of Foreign Trade, adds the following to this description: “Vsevolod came home at about ten o’clock in the evening, and around eleven we went to bed. Our beds were next to each other, and at our heads there was a nightstand with an alarm clock. The alarm clock is old, proven and reliable, it has never failed before. Vsevolod wound it up and handed it to me, and I remember well, when I put it on the bedside table, I looked at it again and put it to my ear - just in case, out of habit. Everything is fine! Why it stopped at night and didn’t ring - only God knows!”

The alarm clock that didn’t ring saved Kolchugin’s life too. He was already sitting on the plane when he was ordered to hand over checkbooks, accountable money, as well as other travel documents to Bocharnikov and go in search of Bobrov, and to find him at any cost. They did not delay the flight: the weather was unstable, the airfield could close.

That evening, Bobrov and Kolchugin safely boarded the train and left for Chelyabinsk.

When the train was standing in Kuibyshev, the station radio announced: “Major Bobrov is asked to immediately go to the military commandant’s office.” There, at the commandant’s office, Vsevolod was informed about the death of the Air Force team in a plane crash.

The dead were buried solemnly, with appropriate military honors and fireworks. An obelisk was erected over the mass grave. Every time Vsevolod Bobrov came to Sverdlovsk, the first thing he did was go to the cemetery near Koltsovsky airport, managing to get fresh flowers somewhere even in the winter cold.

The disaster and the dead hockey players were not reported either in the press or on the radio. This is understandable: the tragedy occurred two and a half weeks after Stalin’s 70th birthday. His son Vasily, commander of the Moscow Military District Air Force, was the first in domestic sports to start a tradition of arranging charter flights for his football and hockey players. Fearing his father’s reaction and a possible investigation into the causes of the disaster, which could reveal the fact that a vehicle from a special-purpose air regiment was used, which repeatedly carried out government tasks and was not at all intended to transport the favorite team of an aviation general, Vasily Stalin decided to put together a new Air Force team literally in a day. The newspapers began to mention the names of only three players remaining from the old squad, who for various reasons did not fly on that ill-fated flight. As before, Zhiburtovich was mentioned, but his name or initials were not indicated, since the brother of the deceased, Pavel, the future world and European champion, was now playing for the Air Force. Stalin, who never interfered in Vasily’s affairs, never learned about this disaster.

Meanwhile, the USSR ice hockey championship continued, and the Air Force matches in the Urals were to take place. Arik Chaplinsky, Alexander Striganov, Alexander Afonkin returned to the Air Force team, and some newcomers were also invited. Together with Vinogradov and Shuvalov, they were put on a train and sent to Chelyabinsk, where the first game was to be played.

She was unforgettable. In Chelyabinsk they knew about the disaster. The crowded stands were passionately rooting not for the home team, but for the guests - the Air Force team. Everyone understood that the pilots were playing not only for themselves, but also for their fallen comrades. Vsevolod Bobrov played masterfully in that match, and, to everyone’s jubilation, the Air Force team won with a score of 8: 3.

The most incredible rumors circulated among Moscow fans about what happened in Sverdlovsk. Naturally, everyone was eagerly awaiting the first game of the Air Force team at the Dynamo stadium.

And this first match at Dynamo took place. But, oddly enough, it not only did not bring complete clarity to the fans, but, on the contrary, only fueled the controversy. The fact is that Yuri Zhiburtovich’s brother, Pavel Zhiburtovich, was now playing next to Bobrov, Shuvalov and Vinogradov. And, in addition, hockey player Anatoly Moiseev, nicknamed Blokha, was temporarily invited to the team. Since the announcer, when announcing the lineups of the teams, only named last names - without first names, and half of the names turned out to be familiar to the fans from the usual composition of the Air Force, many that day decided that the disaster in Sverdlovsk was just rumors.

But when it was announced that Vsevolod Bobrov had been appointed as the new player-coach of the Air Force team, everything became completely clear.

The pilots finished that season with only two five hockey players, and Vsevolod Bobrov’s team lacked just one point to become the bronze medalist of the championship.

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

The death of Yaroslavl "Lokomotiv"

Yaroslavl's Lokomotiv had little success in the decade since former head coach Vladimir Vuytek left the team in 2003 after receiving a better offer from ex-rivals Ak Bars Kazan. 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 recognized as 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, in the end, 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”, students of Manchester United head coach Matt Busby who came to big football from youth school, were very young - they were all barely over twenty. However, the Manchester youth team, 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. The leader of the national figure skating team, Lawrence Owen, even appeared on the cover of the popular Sports Illustrated magazine on the eve of the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague. 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 Santa Cruz for a friendly match. 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 American football team, the Thundering Horde. Being a local team, 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 the history of 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 McCutchen, 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 to the World Cup qualifying match against Senegal 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 Olympic competition in any case 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 approaching 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, it was exactly what happened on October 24, 2004, when 10 people from the Hendrick Motorsport team died in a plane crash, including the son of team owner Rick Hendrick, 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, a memorial has been set up on the university grounds to honor those who died, and sports competitions are held every year in memory of those who died.

BBC: a song about an interrupted flight

“Here is a song for you who did not sing, and that he had a voice - he did not recognize it.” Vladimir Vysotsky’s lines seemed specifically written about the death of the legendary Air Force team.

In our stories about the history of domestic hockey championships, we will have to make a digression from the topic. The tragedy that happened more than 60 years ago was too difficult...

BBC - Vasily Stalin's gang

Tragedies in sports are not uncommon. We often hear about serious injuries, illnesses, and too early deaths of athletes. But a separate line on this black list includes plane crashes, cruel and irreparable blows of fate that claim the lives of not just athletes, but entire teams. In 1979, the Pakhtakor football team crashed during a plane collision over Dneprodzerzhinsk; 18 years earlier, more than 30 figure skaters and coaches of the US national team were killed when landing in Brussels. The whole world remembers the 1958 tragedy with Manchester United. Well, in the history of hockey, the saddest and most tragic date remains January 7, 1950, when the Li-2 (Douglas) plane, whose passengers were 11 hockey players of the famous Air Force team are the color and pride of Soviet hockey.

This team was assembled piece by piece not by anyone, but by the general himself Vasily Stalin, son of the leader and father of all nations, a passionate fan of team sports. In the 50s, Vasily, himself a military pilot, commanded the air force of the Moscow Military District. His fixed idea was to create the most powerful sports society in the country, uniting the best players in the country in a variety of sports. Possessing enormous opportunities, the general did not skimp on promises for athletes, who, by and large, received little more than the average worker. And, to the credit of Vasily Iosifovich, he kept his word - the talents who came under his care received apartments, benefits, good conditions for training, and confidence in the future. Stalin Jr.'s favorite was the great Vsevolod Bobrov, who became equally famous as a football player and hockey player. He never managed to fully join the first team of military pilots, but for the second he became the basis and core.

In those years, the abbreviation “VVS” was deciphered by hockey fans and journalists in different ways, from the respectful “Great Loyalty to Sport” or “Outstanding Great Athletes” to the ironic “Took All of Spartak” or “Vasily Stalin’s Band”. By the time of the terrible incident, the “pilots” held the title of vice-champions of the country.

Black January

On January 7, in the first half of the day, 11 Air Force hockey players, their doctor, a massage therapist, and six crew members took off on special flights in the direction of Chelyabinsk, where the Muscovites were scheduled to meet with the local team “Dzerzhinets” (the current “Tractor”). From the very beginning, the weather warned against flying to the Urals. The atmospheric front did not allow the aircraft to fly to Chelyabinsk on the first attempt, and the athletes had to urgently land in Kazan. Here in front of the new team captain Boris Bocharnikov, who at that time was one of the country's best defenders, was faced with a choice - to continue the flight or transfer to the train. There was very little left to the destination, and to his misfortune Bocharnikov chose the first option. In the 90s, there were rumors that Vasily Stalin was to blame for the death of the hockey players, since he gave him his plane and ordered them to fly. But later it turned out that Boris Mikhailovich, although he consulted with his boss, still made the decision himself. There were still four days left before the game, but the captain was a workaholic and loved hockey with all his heart, and therefore hoped to have a couple more training sessions.

However, they decided to fly not to Chelyabinsk, but to the Sverdlovsk Koltsovo airport, which was considered suitable for receiving aircraft even in difficult weather conditions. Meanwhile, these conditions really exceeded all the most terrible forecasts. Li-2, at dusk and in a snowstorm, began to land at the airport, but failed to do so, despite five attempts. The sixth (according to another version - the third) approach of the most experienced military pilot Ivan Zotova turned out to be fatal - the plane crashed into the ground before reaching the runway several hundred meters. Of the 19 people on board, none survived. The Air Force team died in an instant.

Traditionally for the USSR, such tragedies were hushed up in the press, but a closed investigation by the Ministry of Defense made it possible to find out the cause of the disaster. It turned out that several factors led to the death of the entire hockey team. The reliable Koltsovo airport could not withstand severe weather conditions. It received all aircraft flying to the Urals, and the departmental approach had a negative impact here. Sverdlovsk air traffic controllers first landed their own passenger planes, and the military Li-2 had to circle for a long time in the so-called “holding area.” By the time he was allowed to land, it was already completely dark, and passengers and crew members became downright nervous. According to the main version, the hockey players for some reason ran into the tail of the ship, and this created additional problems for the pilots.

But the main reason for the crash of the air transport was the carelessness and negligence of the ground services, who decided that day to tune the drive radio stations at the nearby Koltsovo and Aramil airfields to the same frequency. Navigator Ponomarev mistakenly began to receive signals from the Aramilya radio station, although the plane was flying to Koltsovo. Naturally, the airfield gave the wrong coordinates, and pilot Zotov failed to find the landing strip several times in a row. The last step into the abyss was the inclusion of spotlights on the plane, which, in snowfall conditions, created the effect of a “wall of light” that blocked the pilots’ visibility. According to the formulation of the Ministry of Defense, the death of 19 people was caused by NORP - unsatisfactory organization of flight management.

Dead

Without exaggeration, the best hockey players of their time, potential champions of the country, the world, and the Olympic Games, died in this flight. They were among the first in our country to master “Canadian” ice hockey. It was they who, as part of the Moscow team, and in fact the national team of the Soviet Union, in 1948 took part in historical matches with the champion of Czechoslovakia, the LTC team. The Prague squad included a number of silver medalists of the Olympics in St. Moritz: forwards Zabrotsky and Konopasek, goalkeeper Modra, but in the series with Soviet athletes they managed to take only one game out of three - 5:3 . Another one ended in a draw 2:2 , and the third was marked by the triumph of the Moscow team - 6:3 .

The best goalkeeper of the country became victims of the plane crash Harius Melloops and a magnificent attacking trio Yuri Tarasov(brother of the great Anatoly Tarasov) – Zdenek Zikmund – Ivan Novikov. The last two, by the way, were also famous tennis players: Ivan became the fifth racket of the country, and Zdenek paired with Nikolai Ozerov won the USSR championship six times. Also, excellent players Boris Bocharnikov, Nikolay Isaev, Robert Shulmanis, Yuri Zhiburtovich, Evgeniy Voronin, Alexander Moiseev And Vasily Volodin. For 20 years, their names were kept silent and subsequently published with errors and inaccuracies. We will allow ourselves to honor the memory of not only the dead hockey players, but also all the other victims of this flight.

1. I. Zotov- ship commander, major.
2. V. Taranenko- second pilot.
3. A. Ponomarev- navigator, captain.
4. M. Fomichev- flight mechanic, captain.
5. M. Demchenko- radio operator, lieutenant.
6. D. Lukyanov- mechanic, senior sergeant.

7. Ivan Novikov- striker.
8. Zdenek Zigmund- striker.
9. Yuri Tarasov- striker.
10. Harry(Hariy) Melloops- goalkeeper.
11. Robert Shulmanis- defender.
12. Evgeniy Voronin- defender.
13. Yuri Zhiburtovich- striker.
14. Nikolay Isaev- goalkeeper.
15. Alexander Moiseev- striker.
16. Vasily Volodin- striker.
17. Mikhail Alperin- doctor.
18. Alexey Galkin- massage therapist.
19. Boris Bocharnikov- defender, player-coach.

They were all buried together in the same cemetery not far from the airport. The burial of 19 small mounds occupies a significant area, around which a monumental cast-iron fence was built. In the center of the memorial stands a tall obelisk with a white marble slab.

Survivors

However, not the entire Air Force team died on that fateful day. Three hockey players, by the will of fate, remained alive to play not for just “that guy,” but for 11 dead comrades at once. All of them did not get on this flight for various reasons. Alexandra Vinogradova saved by the disqualification received for cutting Mikhail Gashchenkov cheek with a skate. Team newcomer Victor Shuvalov Vasily Stalin did not allow him into Chelyabinsk, fearing that he might not be greeted too warmly in his hometown. And with Vsevolod Bobrov and it turned out to be almost a Hollywood story. There were all sorts of rumors about the miraculous salvation of the sports genius. They said that the alarm clock, which had been ringing regularly for many years, unexpectedly failed this time, that Bobrov himself had gone on a spree the previous night and simply overslept. Why, people’s imagination has even gone so far as to make predictions Wolf Messing, personally acquainted with Joseph Stalin.

But everything was explained much more simply. Let’s give the floor to Bobrov’s partner in the club and national team, Viktor Shuvalov: “ The fact that Vsevolod Bobrov was late due to a drinking spree or the alarm clock not ringing on time is all a fairy tale. He had just been allowed to transfer to the Air Force team, and the day after departure he and the team administrator Kolchugin had to personally be present at the registration of this transfer at the sports committee. This was a prerequisite“. That is why Vsevolod went to Chelyabinsk later than everyone else and by train.

» The tragedy with the Air Force team near Sverdlovsk left its mark on my entire future life, continues Shuvalov. - For a long time, little was known about that terrible plane crash - for a number of reasons, they simply tried to forget it as quickly as possible. But there was grief for loved ones, there were real 19 coffins, there was confusion among the survivors. Those three who were not on the special flight of the military aircraft flying on the route Moscow - Kazan - Sverdlovsk.

I had just recently left Chelyabinsk. Whatever the reason for this step, the fans perceive it unequivocally: “Traitor!” It was not without difficulty that I adapted to my new life. And, of course, I was glad when I learned that the first trip would be to Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk - there was an opportunity to visit my parents and see friends. Moreover, the new playing coach Boris Bocharnikov insisted that the team go to the match by plane - we were preparing very seriously for the season, and three days by train could detrain the team.

I, like everyone else, was preparing for the trip. But Vasily Stalin said abruptly: “Don’t take Victor!” The next day, we personally learned from Vasily that the entire team and crew were killed. Bobrov was traveling on the train at that time, and he was stopped halfway - in Kuibyshev. So there were three people left from the Air Force team. It was as if we were deafened."

Resurrection of the team

General Vasily Stalin did not put off the formation of a new team indefinitely. By seven in the evening, the surviving hockey players were called to the headquarters of the Moscow District Air Force and were informed of the disaster and the need to finish the season.

The next day, a new squad set off by train to the capital of the Southern Urals, which included, in addition to Vinogradov (his disqualification was promptly annulled), Shuvalov and Bobrova, the goalkeeper Boris Tropin, defenders Andrey Chaplinsky, Alexander Afonkin And Evgeniy Rogov, as well as forwards Anatoly Arkhipov And Alexander Striganov.

In Chelyabinsk we had to run almost from the train to the stadium. The fans who knew about the tragedy welcomed Shuvalov with open arms, forgetting that he had moved to Moscow. The new Air Force team won that game with a score of 6:0 , and Vsevolod Bobrov scored a hat-trick (according to other sources - poker). After the match, the team immediately went to Sverdlovsk for the funeral of their dead friends.

Subsequently, the revived “military pilots” became the flagship of Soviet hockey. In that sad season, they could not get on the podium, taking only fourth place, but then for three years in a row no one could take away the gold medals from them. Legendaries joined the team Nikolay Puchkov, Victor Tikhonov, Pavel Zhiburtovich, (brother of the deceased Yuri), Evgeny Babich, and Bobrov became a player-coach and the main striking force of the team. In addition to the national championship medals, the Air Force team won the USSR Cup and was a finalist in this tournament. And the three forwards Bobrov - Shuvalov - Babich were repeatedly recognized as the best in the country.

P.S. Finally, a small touch that seems to have nothing to do with that tragedy, but still. For the second part of the 1972 Super Series, the Canadian team flew to the Soviet Union... on two planes. Half the team each. Remembering, by the way, that Soviet catastrophe. This was done for the reason that it was the first team in the history of Canada, which brought together all the best professionals. So that if something happens, we don’t suddenly lose the entire color of Canadian hockey and such a decision was made.

BBC: a song about an interrupted flight

In our stories about the history of domestic hockey championships, we will have to make a digression from the topic. The tragedy that happened more than 60 years ago was too difficult...

BBC - Vasily Stalin's gang

Black January

Dead

Survivors

Resurrection of the team

The first prominent functionary in the history of Russian hockey was Vasily Stalin, the son of the leader of all nations, the creator of the famous Air Force team.

The main historical fact that is now associated with the Air Force team is the 1950 plane crash in which most of its personnel died. Before the plane crash with the Yaroslavl Lokomotiv players, it was the largest such tragedy in our hockey.

Such stories always attract attention, also because of the various myths and mysteries surrounding them. Moreover, if they are associated with legendary personalities like Vsevolod Bobrov (why wasn’t he on the plane - did he oversleep, go on a spree, or was the transition not properly completed?), Wolf Messing (predicted the tragedy or not?) and two Stalins at once - the leader himself (learned about the death of the team or didn’t find out?) and his son (to blame for the accident or not to blame?). All this adds mystery to the matter and leads away from sports somewhere into the wilds of conspiracy theories.

As a result, much less is said about other events that made up the history of the “pilots”. But in the next three seasons after the disaster, the renewed team invariably became the champion of the USSR! Three victories in a row – a real dynasty. At that time, this was the second such case in the history of the national championships - after CDKA. And the third and last (not counting army hegemony) will be recorded after the collapse of the Union - by Dynamo Moscow.

The Air Force team owed its epoch-making achievement primarily to the unique tandem consisting of Bobrov (team leader and player-coach) and Vasily Stalin, who actually acted as the owner and general manager.

But if Bobrov was recognized as a living legend during his brilliant career, then Stalin Jr.’s sports activities were always perceived ambiguously. As, indeed, his personality in general. He was a very extraordinary figure, by virtue of his very origin. For the first time in a long time, the leader of our state had an active son - and it must be said that in terms of the ability to take everything from life, the “Red Crown Prince” gave odds to all the crown princes from the house of Romanov.

An aviator, a motorcyclist, an officer, a reveler, a womanizer - what is not a hussar of the mid-twentieth century? It was as if he served as a living embodiment of his father’s famous phrase about “life has become better, life has become more fun.” In the role of a sports functionary, such a person was simply doomed to originality. It is no coincidence that later the completely non-Soviet word “philanthropist” was very often used to describe him.

Among high-ranking fans, Stalin's son really stood out. He was sincerely interested in sports, without paying tribute to the new fashion, unlike members of Brezhnev’s Politburo, who suddenly became interested in hockey, following the General Secretary. Even during his school years, Vasily proudly reported to his father about his achievements on the football field, which were usually more than in the classroom. And later, falling in love with the sky, airplanes and girls, he did not forget about his sports affections. After the war, two great passions bizarrely combined, and when Stalin’s son took over as commander of the Moscow Military District aviation, the Air Force sports club found a powerful patron.

Facts indicate that Vasily did not have any particular closeness with his father. But this did not interfere with the realization of his sporting ambitions. Why, one unchangeable telephone password “Comrade Stalin will speak to you” (and go figure which one) helped solve almost all issues. And the aviation resources themselves were considerable - they didn’t skimp on “Stalin’s falcons” back then.

There was plenty to spend it on. Almost simultaneously, the young general was in charge of football, hockey, basketball, motorcycle racing and even equestrian (hussar!) teams. There were cyclists and track and field athletes... The first Olympic winner in the history of the USSR, discus thrower Nina Ponomareva, represented the Air Force.

“My teams must have the best,” Stalin Jr. briefly formulated his managerial credo.

Naturally, these best ones did not come from anywhere, but from other teams. But it is precisely from selection that the extremely simplified perception of the activities of the “aviation philanthropist” originates. This manifested itself literally immediately, in those very years. Wholesale purchases of the Air Force led to the fact that fans began to change the name of the team - “They took all the athletes”, “they took all Spartak”, “Vasya Stalin’s gang” and even “Vasya took Seva (Bobrova)”. Now it would probably sound like “Vasya bought everyone up.”

Of course, the general actively used his opportunities to attract strong athletes, who wore shoulder straps with blue edging and received increased allowances. But here he played on a competitive field - CDKA and Dynamo had similar “power” recruiting resources. For example, most of the football stars of these two then top clubs (they invariably won the USSR championships from 1945 to 1951) could not be lured into aviation. And players sometimes refused to transfer from the proverbial Spartak, like Nikita Simonyan, a prominent scorer at the time. So the “aviators” did not rise above fourth place in football.

In hockey, things were going much better - both with the composition and with the results. Suffice it to say that seven future 1954 world champions managed to play for the “pilots”.

But at the same time, the Air Force still did not win its championships in the style of Tikhonov’s CSKA of the 80s. In 1952, an additional match was required to determine the champion (“the pilots beat CDKA - 3:2), and a year later the gap between the Stalinists and their main competitors was minimal (from CDKA - 1 point, from Dynamo - 2).

“No one else has ever had such a team. And it's unlikely to happen. The people were all completely different. They had one thing in common - something that many people lack now. This is decency. I don’t remember a time when someone acted dishonestly towards each other.

I have come a long way in sports, and in hockey in particular. I crossed paths with many people, and in any team, both from the older and younger generations, at least someone, in a purely moral sense, fell out of the team, committed certain ugly acts. This didn't happen in the Air Force! Why? Because the team was selected not so much by skill, but by human qualities.”. (Nikolai Puchkov, “Soviet Sport”, 2003).

In addition, unlike in later times, the creation of an aviation superclub was not justified by the highest state necessity. The time had not yet come to respect the “interests of the national team” - there was no hurry with the entry of Soviet hockey into the international arena. But they didn’t even talk about the “base club” for the future. The victory in the USSR championship was a valuable value in itself - an amazing time for our hockey.

Personal interest, sometimes manic, always came first for Vasily Stalin. He knew his players by name, maintained friendly relations with some of them (especially with Bobrov, whom he admired in his own way - later they would even make a pretty good film about it) and was always ready to help.

Therefore, the essence of the “Stalinist selection” was, first of all, not in offers that were impossible to refuse (those who really wanted it were refused), but in creating conditions for the players. This was not such a new thing for Soviet sports, but thanks to the Air Force, its main contradiction - amateurism on paper and professionalism in practice - became especially noticeable. “You cannot set records and win matches after 6–8 hours of work at the factory,” the leader’s son urged. His methods of motivation will later be condemned, but in the end everyone will silently agree that for big victories, Soviet athletes must be professionals, receiving a good salary and other benefits.

At the same time, in the Air Force empire it was not about achieving any immediate results and nothing more. There was an understanding that for further growth our sport needed an infrastructural breakthrough. In hockey, the issue was very acute - there were simply no decent arenas with artificial ice in the country. It got to the point that leading clubs went to the GDR for preseason, where they trained on a skating rink built at some large meat processing plant. Vasily was inspired by the idea of building a large indoor palace, but did not have time to implement the project, unlike a number of other training facilities. Later, other high-ranking “chiefs” of army commands, for example, Marshal Grechko, will also be heavily involved in infrastructure.

Of course, the situation in which the leader’s son paid increased attention to sports had, given his explosive nature, another side. Send a player who has done something wrong to the guardhouse or send him to a distant garrison? This happened (although anger usually quickly gave way to mercy). Fire a coach because he allowed himself to lightly praise an opponent? Necessarily. Give the team instructions for the game? Why not, what’s so tricky about it – he dribbled and scored. Organize a dressing down after a defeat? There is no need to lose, the Air Force should win!

“What kind of person was Vasily Stalin? I don't dare to judge. I was then, essentially, a boy and didn’t really delve into anything. Only one thing is certain. He was extremely intolerant of objections.Even Vsevolod Bobrov, whom Vasily Stalin literally idolized, did not dare to object to him. Yes, it was pointless.

Now, in hindsight, I think that Vasily Stalin did not have what is commonly called a sense of proportion. Perhaps the lack of control he had become accustomed to over the years had corrupted him. He could give a gold watch by taking it off his hand, or he could unexpectedly unfairly and even rudely reproach him..."(Viktor Tikhonov, “Idols. Secrets of death”).

And yet, the majority of former “pilots”, even years later, still have mostly positive memories of their former “squadron leader.”

“In feature films he is shown as a fool, a despot, a tyrant. I won’t talk about his relationship with regular military personnel.But he sincerely loved his athletes, knew well about the needs of each, and tried to provide everything necessary - to the extent possible. And he really had considerable opportunities.”(Viktor Shuvalov, “Trud”, 2013).

“He was a wonderful sports director. He behaved with us simply like an older comrade. Never made rude remarks. I tried to give advice, but did not impose my opinion, understanding that we, hockey players, know better how to play.

Bobrov usually asked his opinion, and Stalin expressed it. And when he felt that he was saying the wrong thing, he asked: “What, Vsevolod, am I saying wrong?” He shrugged his shoulders and heard in response: “Okay, then you continue, I’ll keep quiet.” No one was afraid of Vasily Iosifovich, and at the same time everyone respected him immensely.”(Nikolai Puchkov, “Soviet Sport”, 2003).

Vasily himself foresaw that not much was measured out for him - both in sports and in general. “I’m alive as long as my father is alive,” he often said, and he turned out to be right. The death of the Generalissimo brought an end to both the “hussarship” and the bright history of aviation sports, including the hockey superclub. It was disbanded already in May 1953, almost immediately after the arrest of its curator, who at one point lost his power. Among other sins, Stalin’s son was accused of inflated expenses on sports - this was probably the only such case in the entire history of the USSR.

“Striving to popularize his name, Stalin V.I. achieved the creation of 8 full-time sports teams of up to 300 people at the Air Force of the Moscow Military District, on the maintenance of which more than 5 million rubles were spent annually. These sports teams were composed of professional athletes who were lured from other sports societies.

A privileged position was created for athletes of the Moscow Military District Air Force; they were first of all provided with apartments, assigned officer ranks, given flight technical uniforms, and significant funds were allocated for bonuses and satisfying their other whims, thereby infringing on the interests of the Moscow Military Air Force personnel.”(from the investigative case of Stalin V.I., “Vasily, son of the leader”, Sukhomlinov A.V.)

The investigation, which predictably ended in a guilty verdict, lasted two and a half years (a characteristic feature is that former “pilot” athletes willingly donated money to the disgraced boss). During this time, the USSR national team - with a considerable number of former Air Force players in its composition - managed to make a victorious debut on the international stage. A new era was beginning in Soviet hockey, where there was no longer a place for either the “aviation philanthropist” (who eventually served his eight-year sentence and then quickly died) or his main brainchild.

The “orphaned” players, led by Bobrov, joined the CDKA. Having absorbed a powerful competitor, the army club, having changed several names, remained the main force in the USSR championship until the end of the 80s. During this time, no other team managed to win gold medals even twice in a row.

The end of the hegemony of the army, as in the case of the “pilots,” happened due to major political changes in the country. The fall of the Iron Curtain led to a massive loss of the best players who rushed abroad, and a natural loss of leadership in Soviet hockey, which itself was already living its last days.

This is the main danger for the superclubs created in Russia - no matter under what regime. While hockey remains closely connected with the state machine, its slightest fluctuations can pose a threat to the existence of any dynasty.