The shock news of the accident, which was to claim the lives of 23 of the 44 passengers who were on board the plane, reverberated around England.
United, also referred to as the 'Busby Babes' because of their manager Matt Busby, were the best-known team in England.
They had won the league title in 1956 despite an average age of only 21 and retained it the following season.
Busby was severely injured in the crash and barely survived. He was in hospital for two months and was twice read the last rites.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
~RS~a~RS~International~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~43~RS~){kind=small}
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~43~RS~)
Football Focus looks back 50 years
Bookmark with:
What are these?