Manchester United Suffers Flight Scare In Germany

Premier League giants Manchester United experienced a scare during their flight to Germany for their Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen, this according to several reports on Tuesday night.

United's chartered flight headed to Cologne's airport suffered a tough landing and aborted its landing approximately 400 meters from the ground to avoid another aircraft that was still on the runway.

According to reports, no one was injured though several players and team personnel -- including English defender Rio Ferdinand -- admitted to their relief over the tense incident:

It is understood a number of passengers expressed their concern and, while a stewardess initially said there had not been a problem, the captain later came onto the speakers to confirm he had been forced to abort the landing as there was another plane on the runway.

On Monday, Bill Foulkes, a Manchester United defender who survived the 1958 Munich air crash that killed eight players on the storied team, died. He was 81.

Foulkes was one of the survivors of the Feb. 6, 1958, accident in which 23 people died and stripped the heart of the "Busby Babes." The plane carrying Matt Busby's team back from a European Cup game against Red Star Belgrade stopped to refuel in Munich but crashed on takeoff.

Neither Sir Alex Ferguson nor Sir Bobby Charlton, who on Monday paid tribute to Foulkes following his death, were traveling, even though they are both due to attend the game at the BayArena.

It was not the ideal start to what manager David Moyes acknowledges is the "big job" ahead of his side as they seek to book a place in the last 16. "We have a big job to do," said Moyes. "Bayer Leverkusen have been in great form at home. My first feeling when I saw the group was that Shakhtar Donetsk away would be a real tough game.

Moyes added: "It did prove to be that way and we ended up with a draw there. But Leverkusen are in good shape in the group themselves. We know we are going to have a game on our hands."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.