On 6 February 1958, 63 years ago, United suffered the biggest tragedy in the history of the team. The team flew home after playing the Champions League match away to Red Star Belgrade, but had to refuel in Munich, Germany. After two failed take-offs, the pilot, James Thain, decided to make a third attempt. However, the final take-off failed, and the plane rushed to a nearby house and caught fire. Seven players were killed on the spot, and then-popular star Duncan Edwards died in hospital 15 days after the accident. The tragedy led to the deaths of 8 United players and 3 staff.
Later, German officials investigated and interrogated the incident, believing that James Tyne did not arrange to clear the ice and snow on the wings and caused the accident, and was responsible for the incident. It took James Tyne 10 years to pay his innocence, and finally it was officially believed that the snowmelt on the runway prevented the plane from running at full speed, resulting in the plane not taking off successfully.
Although decades have passed since the events, this time of year Manchester United officially holds commemorative events to show the team's respect for history and the memory of the dead and their families. This year is the fourth time after the tragedy that Manchester United has played at Old Trafford on February 6 (local time), and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side will play against Everton, and it is believed that Manchester United will also have a commemorative event before the game.
2008 marks the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster, and United also paid tribute to Manchester City's league at home on 10 February, including a group of players wearing retro 1958 shirts. Unfortunately, the team lost 1:2 to their opponents in the same city.
2008 also marked the 40th anniversary of United's first European Champions League triumph, when They reached the Champions League final and played Chelsea in Moscow. In preparation for the team's third Champions League final, Ferguson invited Sir Bobby Charlton, the survivor of the Munich air disaster, to share his experience with a group of players, including how Bobby Charlton was reborn with the players and overcame the difficulties after the crash to win the 1968 Champions League. Ferguson also prepared footage of the Munich crash for the players to watch. Bobby Charlton remembers the players holding their breath and paying attention to everything they said, when a needle in the conference room would have been audible if a needle had fallen on the ground.
United then invited survivors of the Munich air disaster, including Bobby Charltons, Bill Foulkes, Albert Scanlon, Harry Gregg and Kenny Morgans, to Moscow to watch the final, in addition to showing respect for history, but also hoping to pass on the spirit of their years of overcoming difficulties.
Ferguson's pre-departure arrangements allowed United players to take on a different mission to meet the final. As a result, the players lived up to expectations, beating Chelsea on penalties to win the third Champions League title in the team's history. Bobby Charlton, who won the cup as captain in 1968, led a group of Manchester United players to the podium to receive medals as a director of the team, and witnessed Leo Ferdinand and Giggs lift the Champions League trophy together, making the best tribute to the Munich air disaster.