Post by iris89 on Nov 3, 2008 10:31:34 GMT -5
Sequel #2 to 'Nut Case" Islamic Conspiracy Weavers Are A Bane To Truth and Reality
INTRODUCTION:
It seems when ever something big and sensational wicked crime happens some one(s) comes up with either a conspiracy theory and/or confesses to the crime they did not commit.
With regard to the terrible wicked and evil crime against humanity that occurred on 9/11/2001, there have been over 100 conspiracy theories of all kinds put forth when in reality what happened really was quite clear; to wit, four jumbo jets full of fuel were hijacked by evil “nut cases” under the directions of a Muslim religious leader, Sheik Osama bin Ladin. Three of these were shortly flown into buildings – two were flown into the World Trade Center (WTC) and destroyed it with a loss of life of over 3,000 – one was flown into the Pentagon with a loss of life of about 100 – and the last crashed in Stonycreek Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania after the legitimate passengers fought with the hijackers on American Airlines flight 77.
In fact, I as well as many thousands of others actually watched as the second plane, United Flight 175, actually hit tower #2 of the WTC. But the “nut case” conspiracy weavers say absolutely dumb things such as:
“Whats the matter? You don't have LEGITIMATE EVIDENCE to prove that explosives not used in the twin tower?? Of course you don't. You only have stupid confession tape.”
Trying to put forth an absurd false theory that the building was brought down by explosives even though no tract of prima cord, electric detonation wire, explosive residue was ever found, and in spite of 100,000s seeting live TV coverage of the two jumbo jets hitting the building. Also, the survivors who made it out mentioned NO EXPLOSIVES. This false conspiracy theory will be dealt with later in my article in more detail. But an interesting fact is that this same “nut case” said there were no Arab named individuals on any of the flights which we all know was false.
One respected encyclopedia said,
<<<” The 9/11 attacks have spawned a number of conspiracy theories challenging the mainstream account. One of the best-known theories was put forward by Thierry Meyssan which contends that the Pentagon was not hit by a Boeing 757, but by a missile launched by the American military.[94] Proponents say that the 75-foot (23 m) hole is too small to account for an aircraft with a wingspan of 124 feet (38 m).[95] Mete Sozen, a member of the ASCE team onsite after the crash, explained that an airplane does not create a "cartoon-like outline of itself" when crashing into a reinforced concrete building.[96] Conspiracy advocates also point to other minutiae such as small amount of debris or the condition of grass on the lawn.[95] The documentary film Loose Change asserts that there were no discernible pieces of debris from Flight 77.[97] Blast expert Allyn E. Kilsheimer was the first structural engineer to arrive at the Pentagon after the crash and helped coordinate the emergency response. He states that Flight 77 "was absolutely a plane. I saw the marks of the plane wing on the face of the building. I picked up parts of the plane with the airline markings on them. I held in my hand the tail section of the plane, and I found the black box." In addition, Kilsheimer's account is supported by the photos of plane wreckage inside and outside the building.” [source - [source - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines_Flight_93 on 11/03/2008]
In fact, some on conspiracy Internet sites make statements that conflict with reality probably just for the notarity. One such statement was as follows:
<<<” Col. George Nelson, MBA, U.S. Air Force (ret) – Former U.S. Air Force aircraft accident investigator and airplane parts authority. Graduate, U.S. Air Force War College. 34-year Air Force career.
Licensed commercial pilot. Licensed airframe and powerplant mechanic.
* Essay: "In all my years of direct and indirect participation, I never witnessed nor even heard of an aircraft loss, where the wreckage was accessible, that prevented investigators from finding enough hard evidence to positively identify the make, model, and specific registration number of the aircraft -- and in most cases the precise cause of the accident. ...
The government alleges that four wide-body airliners crashed on the morning of September 11 2001, resulting in the deaths of more than 3,000 human beings, yet not one piece of hard aircraft evidence has been produced in an attempt to positively identify any of the four aircraft. On the contrary, it seems only that all potential evidence was deliberately kept hidden from public view. …
With all the evidence readily available at the Pentagon crash site, any unbiased rational investigator could only conclude that a Boeing 757 did not fly into the Pentagon as alleged. Similarly, with all the evidence available at the Pennsylvania crash site, it was most doubtful that a passenger airliner caused the obvious hole in the ground and certainly not the Boeing 757 as alleged. …
As painful and heartbreaking as was the loss of innocent lives and the lingering health problems of thousands more, a most troublesome and nightmarish probability remains that so many Americans appear to be involved in the most heinous conspiracy in our country's history." [source - patriotsquestion911.com/#Meacher on 11/02/2008]>>>.
Evidence showing this to be completely wrong will be shown in the part of this article dealing with American Airlines flight 77.
But as can be seen, some conspiracy theory weavers seek to cover up reality to hide the wicked and evil wrong doings of their beloved Muslim religious leader, Sheik Osama bin Ladin and others to grab a little bit of notarity.
WTC DEMOLITION AND MISSLE CONSPIRACIES:
One member of Islam actually said the following outright lie and absurd conspiracy theory,
“No commercial aircraft buried itself in Pennsylvania terra firma. The utter public silence from observing the many clips of high energy materials being ejected from the other side of WTC #2, from most probably a projectile with DU-hardening nose characteristics is deafening. Further, the two WTC Towers were explosive demolitions, without any doubts. WTC #7 crumbled under a classic demolition.”
This chapter, however, will NOT deal with the Pennsylvania crash of United Airlines flight 93, but only with the WTC. Another chapter will deal with United Airlines flight 93.
We have all seen pictures of the two different planes that hit the twin towers of the World Trade Center (WTC). In fact, I watched live coverage as it happened of the second plane actually hitting. As to a high energy materials being ejected from the other side of WTC #2 from a projectile with DU-hardening nose characteristics claim by this “nut case” member of Islam, this is of course just is absurd imagination from watching too many movies. He is no longer able to distinguish between movie fantasies and reality. In fact, he even used movie actors and movies as backup evidence for what he said; how utterly absurd. Here is what this Muslim “nut case” actually said,
"Mic hael Moore – Academy Award and Cannes Palme d'Or Award-winning producer, director, writer and author. His film and television projects includes; Sicko (2007), Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004), Bowling for Columbine (2002), The Awful Truth (4 TV episodes, 1999), And Justice for All (1998), TV Nation (1997), The Big One (1997), Canadian Bacon (1995), Pets or Meat: The Return to Flint (1992), Roger & Me (1989). Author of Dude, Where's My Country? (2004), Stupid White Men (2004), Will They Ever Trust Us Again? (2005).
Article 6/19/07: "I've had a number of firefighters tell me over the years and since Fahrenheit 9/11 that they heard these explosions -- that they believe there's MUCH more to the story than we've been told. I don't think the official investigations have told us the complete truth -- they haven't even told us half the truth. ...”
As can easily be seen, he knows his films, the make believe of Hollywood and Bollywood, but does not know or understand reality. Of course anyone who could believe in and worship a false god such as the mythical old middle eastern celestial mood god, "Allah," can imagine all sorts of imaginary things!
Of course I have answered him on the, The fact that he can NOT deal with reality but likes to spin lies and conspiracy theories (also lies) is clearly shown by his references to movies instead of reality and by the nonsense things he says. His statement with regard to firefighters hearing explosions clearly shows he is either ignorant of basic physics or does NOT WANT to accept basic physics. He said,
"I've had a number of firefighters tell me over the years and since Fahrenheit 9/11 that they heard these explosions –“
Yes, I am sure they heard some since when liquids get very hot, past their boiling point and expand in any closed container such as hot water heaters, transformers, and pipes in the infrastructure of any large building they tend to rupture their containment with explosive force.
To show his desperation with respect spinning conspiracy theories to cover up wrong doing, very evil and wicked acts, at the directions of a Muslim religious leader, Sheik Osama bin Ladin. He later claimed the firefighters heard these explosions before the planes hit the WTC, but he overlooked the fact that until the planes hit, there were no firefighters even there.
Then he tried to claim, not once, but twice that the buildings, WTC, were brought down by commercial demolition. This implication that the World Trade Center (WTC) was brought down by a controlled demolition and not by being hit by fuel loaded planes, in the words of a conspiracy monger who worships a false god.
" It was not struck by an aircraft as the Twin Towers were and video of the collapse appears to resemble those of buildings brought down by a controlled demolition."
Now of course it takes months of very careful preparation to do a controlled demolition of a tall building in which many holes are made at exact points and detonation wire and prima cord are carefully placed throughout the building. In fact, the building being primed for controlled demolition takes on the looks o***iant piece of Swiss cheese with detonation wire and prima cord everywhere so there would have been no possibility of this in the case of the WTC.
In addition, there were many continuous photographs of the two different planes actually hitting the two buildings which this dumb conspiracy theory overlooks. Clearly conspiracy weavers of this type are just trying to cover-up for the wrong doing of some of their religious leaders.”
Then, this “nut case” conspiracy weaver put forth another absurd theory as follows:
“The utter public silence from observing the many clips of high energy materials being ejected from the other side of WTC #2, from most probably a projectile with DU-hardening nose characteristics is deafening.”
Now how absurd can you get, a missile in downtown Manhattan big and powerful enough to destroy a building in broad daylight and no one would see it? This is getting more ridicules by the moment, and that it would hit at the same time as the plane – how utterly absurd. Also, there would have had to be two which our “nut case” Muslim conspiracy forgot. Manhattan is NOT downtown Beirut or Baghdad and any missile would have had to be very large and come from somewhere, but he neglects these all important facts.
Last, he fails to show any physical evidence for either of his false conspiracy theories that come right of Hollywood fiction. I call this a case of TRYING TO AVOID THE OBVIOUS.
AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 77 AND THE PENTAGON:
Now with respect the statement, previously posted in its entirety,
<<<” With all the evidence readily available at the Pentagon crash site, any unbiased rational investigator could only conclude that a Boeing 757 did not fly into the Pentagon as alleged. Similarly, with all the evidence available at the Pennsylvania crash site, it was most doubtful that a passenger airliner caused the obvious hole in the ground and certainly not the Boeing 757 as alleged.” [source - patriotsquestion911.com/#Meacher on 11/02/2008]
Let’s look at some reliable facts and statements by eye witnesses:
He then claimed to try and back up his false conspiracy theory, an outright lie, that,
“Heather Thomas: I'm going to go this far: There was no fuselage at the Pentagon. There was none that you could check out. They said it vaporized, and yet they produced bodies saying that they didn't vaporize. You can vaporize a two-ton engine? I don't think so. And a lot people say they closed the Twin Towers for weekends on end (directly before 9/11) and wouldn't even let the security people in there (because they were setting it up for demolition.) You can listen to this stuff, the knowledge is out there. You can see the pictures of the Pentagon (destruction). It's a solid hole. No airplane does damage like that. It was a b...”
Now, His absurd claim that no plane ever hit the Pentagon and that the FBI lied when it got two or three names mixed up due to unfamiliarity with strange foreign names,
“The FBI lied about the hijackers names, FBI lied about the calls. So why should we believe anything the at FBI said on 9/11? We are going to expose more lies. And Iris is happy that FBI lies as long as FBI said its done by Muslims (giggle). We will show later even there were no planes hitting pentagon and crash in Pennsylvania. Lets turn our attention to WTC 7:”
First, as we all well know, that there are many suspects in any major case and that sometimes the FBI makes mistakes at first with respect names and in a case with strange similarly sounding foreign, none English names, it would be expected that the FBI would at first make some errors – and they did. Now with respect calls from airplanes from cell phones or the airplane’s radio, in many cases these were recorded and I personally have listened to some of them so this conspiracy weaver is just telling just one more bold faced lie. With respect a plane hitting the Pentagon, let’s look at the evidence, the reality,
Second, with respect the Pentagon,
<<<” The Pentagon was designed in the early 40's and was completed in only 16 months on Jan 14, 1943. The shortages of materials required for war production raised many design and construction problems. The use of reinforced concrete in lieu of formed steel for the building made possible a saving of 43,000 tons of steel, more than enough to build a battleship. The use of concrete ramps rather than elevators further reduced steel requirements. Drainage pipes were concrete; ducts were fiber, interior doors were wood. An unusual wall design - concrete spandrels carried to window sill level - eliminated many miles of through-wall copper flashing.(Source1) (Source2)
...The exterior walls had been reinforced with steel beams and columns, bolted where they met at each floor. Some of these reinforced walls very near the point of impact remained in place for a half hour before collapsing, allowing uncounted hundreds to escape. "Had we not undertaken this effort," said Evey at a press briefing on September 15, "this could have been much, much worse."
...Looking At the Big Picture
From facts contained above, we can all agree that:
The length of the outside wall on any side of the pentagon is 921 feet.
The wingspan of a 757 is 124 feet 10 inches.
Now, everyone can agree that 921/125= roughly 7.4 right?
Given the size of the 757, and the size of the Pentagon, the damaged area fits in peftectly with the dimensions of both the aircraft and the building...
Here is the hole in the building - it's been reported by at least a dozen different sources (including conspiracy theory sites) to be a 16 to 20 foot hole. That is really interesting when you take into account the fact that the 757 body is 12 ft 4in wide and 13 ft 6in high. (Here is where I was mistaken in the past, like so very many others I was led astray by the HEIGHT of the aircraft, which is actually the measurement from the wheels-down to the tip of the tail. That measurement is for aircraft hangar clearance, not the SIZE of the aircraft.) The 757 is basically a cylinder that is 13 feet across. It then should not be surprising that it would create something around a thirteen foot hole in the side of the building...
Rim found at scene was double bead design as required by the NTSB. Other remains of the plane were also found, such as a large chunk of the bulkhead, a tire of type used on this type of plane, Aux Power Unit, the 'Black Box', etc.
...In layman's terms the crash dynamics worked like so: A large hollow tube, with a belly full of luggage, a passenger bay with 60 people, and wings full of fuel smashed into the side of an almost solid object while moving at a tremendous speed (somewhere around 350-400mph). When the 225,000lb+ plane hit, it smashed apart with such force from the crash that it became like one massive column of liquid (no, the plane didn't melt or turn into liquid, it just acted like one physically - mountainslides act the same way, a million tons of rock acts like a large field of liquid during a landslide even if no water is present). All the small parts, luggage, people, seats, and all the tens of thousands of pounds of fuel acting like a massive river came crashing into the wall of the Pentagon. This force burst through the outside wall and flowed through the inside to the next wall, and momentum carried this mass until it finally ran out of inertia at the 3rd ring.
"Aydan Kizildrgli, an English language student who is a native of Turkey, saw the jetliner bank slightly then strike a western wall of the huge five-sided building that is the headquarters of the nation's military. 'There was a big boom,' he said. 'Everybody was in shock. I turned around to the car behind me and yelled "Did you see that?" Nobody could believe it.'"
- "Bush Vows Retaliation for 'Evil Acts'." USA Today, 11 Sep 2001
"Frank Probst, an information management specialist for the Pentagon Renovation Program, left his office trailer near the Pentagon's south parking lot at 9:36 a.m. Sept. 11. Walking north beside Route 27, he suddenly saw a commercial airliner crest the hilltop Navy Annex. American Airlines Flight 77 reached him so fast and flew so low that Probst dropped to the ground, fearing he'd lose his head to its right engine."
- "A Defiant Recovery." The Retired Officer Magazine, January 2002
"Frank Probst, an information management specialist for the Pentagon Renovation Program, left his office trailer near the Pentagon's south parking lot at 9:36 a.m. Sept. 11. Walking north beside Route 27, he suddenly saw a commercial airliner crest the hilltop Navy Annex. American Airlines Flight 77 reached him so fast and flew so low that Probst dropped to the ground, fearing he'd lose his head to its right engine."
- "A Defiant Recovery." The Retired Officer Magazine, January 2002
"Afework Hagos, a computer programmer, was on his way to work but stuck in a traffic jam near the Pentagon when the plane flew over. 'There was a huge screaming noise and I got out of the car as the plane came over. Everybody was running away in different directions. It was tilting its wings up and down like it was trying to balance. It hit some lampposts on the way in.'"
- "Pentagon Eyewitness Accounts." The Guardian, 12 Sep 2001
"Henry Ticknor, intern minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, Virginia, was driving to church that Tuesday morning when American Airlines Flight 77 came in fast and low over his car and struck the Pentagon. 'There was a puff of white smoke and then a huge billowing black cloud,' he said."
- "Hell on Earth." UU World, Jan/Feb 20
"We were the only people, we think, who saw it live," Dan Creed said. He and two colleagues from Oracle software were stopped in a car near the Naval Annex, next to the Pentagon, when they saw the plane dive down and level off. "It was no more than 30 feet off the ground, and it was screaming. It was just screaming. It was nothing more than a guided missile at that point," Creed said. "I can still see the plane. I can still see it right now. It's just the most frightening thing in the world, going full speed, going full throttle, its wheels up," - Ahwatukee Foothill News
There are many more eyewitness accounts, but this is more than ample to blow away all the dumb conspiracy theories that 'nut cases' come up with. Why do they come up with them? For many reasons such as a wild imagination, not willing to accept reality - the facts, some are just clear out 'nut cases,' some want a little publicity, etc.
[source for much of this information is - www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread79655/pg1 in an article "9/11: A Boeing757 Struck the Pentagon," ]>>>.
Now with regard to his stating,
“And a lot people say they closed the Twin Towers for weekends on end (directly before 9/11) and wouldn't even let the security people in there (because they were setting it up for demolition.) You can listen to this stuff, the knowledge is out there. You can see the pictures of the Pentagon (destruction). It's a solid hole. No airplane does damage like that. It was a b...”
Also, there was no restriction of security personnel or anyone else who worked in the Twin Towers for weekends on end before the wicked evil cohorts of Muslim religious leader Sheik Osama bin Laden committed their evil act.
Now to even insinuate that all these workers in the WTC and other buildings would not have noticed if there were holes punched everywhere and wires and prima cord up and down stairwells and in offices for months on end is being absolutely absurd to the point of being insane. Now the only question is when will this “nut case” stop lying and come down to reality and/or be committed to a mental institution.
And, now an encyclopedia on American Flight 77 that struck the Pentagon and on surveillance cameras that filmed it with references included:
<<<” American Airlines Flight 77 was the third flight hijacked as part of the September 11 attacks, and it was deliberately crashed into the Pentagon. The scheduled U.S. domestic flight from Washington Dulles International Airport, near Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles International Airport was hijacked by five Islamic terrorists less than 35 minutes into the flight. The hijackers stormed the thingypit and forced the passengers to the rear of the aircraft. Hani Hanjour, one of the hijackers trained as a pilot, assumed control of the flight. Unknown to the hijackers, passengers aboard were able to make calls to loved ones and relay information on the hijacking.
The aircraft crashed into the western facade of the Pentagon at 09:37 Eastern Time. All 64 people on board and 125 in the building were killed, including the hijackers. Dozens of people witnessed the crash and news sources began reporting on the incident within minutes. The impact severely damaged an area of the Pentagon and ignited a large fire. A portion of the Pentagon collapsed and firefighters spent days trying to fully extinguish the blaze. The damage to the Pentagon was rebuilt in 2002, with occupants moving back into the damaged area on August 15, 2002.
The 184 victims of the attack are memorialized in the Pentagon Memorial adjacent to the Pentagon. The 1.93-acre (7,800 m2) park consists of 184 benches, one for each of the victims, arranged according to the year of birth, ranging from 1930 (age 71) to 1998 (age 3). Flight 77's flight path cuts directly through the park.
Hijackers
The hijackers on American Airlines Flight 77 included Hani Hanjour, who piloted the aircraft into the Pentagon.[1] Hanjour first came to the United States in 1990.[2] He trained at the CRM Airline Training Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, earning his FAA commercial pilot's certificate in April 1999.[3] He had wanted to be a commercial pilot for the Saudi national airline, but was rejected when he applied to the civil aviation school in Jeddah in 1999. Hanjour's brother later explained that, frustrated at not finding a job, Hanjour "increasingly turned his attention toward religious texts and cassette tapes of militant Islamic preachers".[4] Hanjour left Saudi Arabia in late 1999, telling his family that he was going to the United Arab Emirates to work for an airline.[5] Instead, Hanjour likely ended up in Afghanistan where Al Qaeda recruits were screened for special skills they may have. Already having selected the Hamburg Cell members, Al Qaeda leaders selected Hanjour to lead the fourth team of hijackers.[6]
In December 2000, Hanjour arrived in San Diego, joining "muscle" hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar, who had been there since November 1999.[5][7] Soon after arriving, Hanjour and al-Hazmi left for Mesa, Arizona, where Hanjour began refresher training at Arizona Aviation.[5] In April 2001, they relocated to Falls Church, Virginia, where they awaited the arrival of the remaining "muscle" hijackers.[5] One of these men, Majed Moqed, arrived on May 2, 2001 with Flight 175 hijacker Ahmed al-Ghamdi from Dubai at Dulles International Airport and moved into an apartment with al-Hazmi and Hanjour.[8]
On May 21, 2001, Hanjour rented a room in Paterson, New Jersey, where he stayed with other hijackers through the end of August.[9] The last Flight 77 "muscle" hijacker, Salem al-Hazmi, arrived on June 29, 2001 with Flight 11 hijacker Abdulaziz al-Omari at John F. Kennedy International Airport from the United Arab Emirates and stayed with Hanjour.[8] Hani Hanjour received ground instruction and did practice flights at Air Fleet Training Systems in Teterboro, New Jersey, and at Caldwell Flight Academy in Fairfield, New Jersey.[5] Hanjour moved out of the room in Paterson and arrived at the Valencia Motel in Laurel, Maryland on September 2, 2001.[9] While in Maryland, Hanjour and fellow hijackers trained at the Gold's Gym in Greenbelt.[10] On September 10, he completed a certification flight, using a terrain recognition system for navigation, at Congressional Air Charters in Gaithersburg, Maryland.[11][12] On September 10, Nawaf al-Hazmi, accompanied by other hijackers, checked into the Marriott in Herndon, Virginia.[13]
Flight
The American Airlines Flight 77 aircraft was a Boeing 757-223 (registration number N644AA).[14] The flight crew included pilot Charles Burlingame, First Officer David Charlebois, and flight attendants Michele Heidenberger, Jennifer Lewis, Kenneth Lewis, and Renee May.[15] The capacity of the aircraft was 176 passengers, but with 58 passengers on September 11, the load factor was 33 percent. Tuesdays were the least traveled day of the week, with the same level of load factor seen on Tuesdays in the previous three-months for Flight 77.[16]
Boarding
On the morning of September 11, 2001, the five hijackers arrived at Dulles International Airport, outside of Washington, D.C. At 07:15, Khalid al-Mihdhar and Majed Moqed checked-in at the American Airlines ticket counter for Flight 77,[17] and they arrived at the passenger security checkpoint a few minutes later at 07:18.[18] Both men set off the metal detector and were put through secondary screening. Moqed continued to set off the alarm, so he was searched with a hand wand.[19] The al-Hazmi brothers checked in together at the ticket counter at 07:29. Hani Hanjour checked in separately, and arrived at the passenger security checkpoint at 07:35.[12] Hanjour was followed minutes later at the checkpoint by Salem and Nawaf al-Hazmi, the latter who set off the metal detector's alarm. The screener at the checkpoint never resolved what set off the alarm. As seen in security footage later released, Nawaf Hazmi appeared to have an unidentified item in his back pocket, but four-inch utility knives were nonetheless permitted by the FAA as carry-on items.[19][17] The passenger security checkpoint at Dulles International Airport was operated by Argenbright Security, under contract with United Airlines.[20]
The hijackers were also all selected for extra screening of their checked bags. Hani Hanjour, Khalid al-Mihdhar, and Majed Moqed were chosen by the Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System criteria, while Nawaf al-Hazmi and Salem al-Hazmi were selected because they did not provide adequate identification and deemed suspicious by the airline check-in agent. Hanjour, al-Mihdhar, and Nawaf al-Hazmi did not check any bags for the flight. Checked bags belonging to Moqed and Salem al-Hazmi were held until they boarded the aircraft.[16] By 07:50, the five hijackers, carrying knives and box cutters, had made it through the airport security checkpoint and boarded Flight 77 to Los Angeles.[17] On the flight, Hani Hanjour was seated up front in 1B, while Salem and Nawaf al-Hazmi were seated further back in first class in 5E and 5F. Majed Moqed and Khalid al-Mihdhar were seated further back in 12A and 12B.[21] The flight was scheduled to depart at 08:10, but ended up departing 10 minutes late from Gate D26 at Dulles.[16]
The hijacking
Flight path taken by Flight 77
The 9/11 Commission estimated that the flight was hijacked between 08:51 and 08:54, just minutes after the first hijacked plane had struck the World Trade Center in Manhattan at 08:46. The last normal radio communications from the aircraft to air traffic control occurred at 08:50:51.[22] At 08:54, American Airlines Flight 77 began to deviate from its normal, assigned flight path and turned south.[17] The hijackers set the flight's autopilot heading for Washington, D.C.[23] By 08:56, the flight was turned around, and the transponder had been disabled. The FAA was aware at this point that there was an emergency aboard the plane. By this time, American Airlines Flight 11 had already crashed into the World Trade Center, and United Airlines Flight 175 was known to have been hijacked. After learning of this second hijacking involving American Airlines aircraft and the hijacking involving United Airlines, American Airlines Executive Vice President Gerard Arpey ordered a nationwide ground stop for the airline.[17] The Indianapolis Air Traffic Control Center, as well as American Airlines dispatchers, made several failed attempts to contact the aircraft. At the time the plane was hijacked, it was flying over an area of limited radar coverage.[24] With air controllers unable to contact the flight by radio, an Indianapolis official declared that the plane had possibly crashed at 09:09.[24]
Two people on American Airlines Flight 77 made phone calls to contacts on the ground. At 09:12, flight attendant Renee May called her mother, Nancy May, in Las Vegas.[21] During the call, which lasted nearly two minutes, May said her flight was being hijacked by six individuals and they had been moved to the rear of the plane.[17][21] May also asked her mother to contact American Airlines, which she and her husband promptly did.[17] American Airlines was already aware of the hijacking. Between 09:16 and 09:26, passenger Barbara Olson called her husband, United States Solicitor General Ted Olson, and reported that the plane had been hijacked and that the assailants had box cutters and knives.[17][25] She reported that the passengers, and possibly the crew, had been moved to the back of the plane and that the hijackers were unaware of her call. A minute into the conversation, the call was cut off. Theodore Olson contacted the command center at the Department of Justice, and tried unsuccessfully to contact Attorney General John Ashcroft.[17] About five minutes later, Barbara Olson called again, told her husband that the pilot had announced the flight was hijacked, and asked "what do I tell the pilot to do?"[26] Ted Olson asked her location and she reported the plane was flying over a residential area.[27] He then informed her of the attacks on the World Trade Center. Soon afterwards, the call cut off again.[17]
"The speed, the maneuverability, the way that he turned, we all thought in the radar room, all of us experienced air traffic controllers, that that was a military plane. You don't fly a 757 in that manner. It's unsafe."
Danielle O'Brien, Air traffic controller at Dulles International Airport[28]
A plane was detected again by Dulles controllers on radar screens as it approached Washington, turning and descending rapidly. Controllers initially thought this was a fighter plane, due to its high speed and maneuverability.[29] Reagan Airport controllers then asked a passing Air National Guard C-130 Hercules plane to identify and follow the aircraft. The pilot, Lt. Col. Steven O'Brien, told them it was a Boeing 757 or 767, and its silver fuselage meant it was probably an American Airlines jet. He had difficulty picking out the plane in the "East Coast haze", but then saw a "huge" fireball, and initially assumed it had hit the ground. Approaching the Pentagon, he saw the west side and reported to Reagan control, "Looks like that aircraft crashed into the Pentagon sir".[17][30]
Crash
Flight 77, flying at 530 miles per hour (853 km/h),[14] crashed into the western side of the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, just south of Washington, D.C. at 09:37:44, killing all 53 passengers, 5 hijackers, and 6 crew.[31] It clipped several street lampposts and the right wing hit a portable generator before impacting the Pentagon wall.[32][33] The flight hit the Pentagon at the first-floor level.[34] As it crashed, the plane was rolled slightly to the left, with the right wing elevated.[35] When the plane impacted, the front part of the fuselage disintegrated, while the mid and tail sections moved for another fraction of a second, with tail section debris pieces ending furthest into the building.[34] In all, the plane took eight-tenths of a second to fully penetrate 310 feet (94 m) into the three outermost rings[36] and unleashed a fireball that rose 200 feet (61 m) above the building.[34]
Debris from Flight 77 scattered near the Pentagon
At the time of the attacks, approximately 18,000 people worked in the Pentagon, which was 4,000 fewer than before renovations began in 1998.[37] The section of the Pentagon, which had recently been renovated at a cost of $250 million,[38] housed the Naval Command Center[39] and other Pentagon offices, as well as some unoccupied offices. The crash and subsequent fire penetrated three outer ring sections of the western side. The outermost ring section was largely destroyed, and a large section collapsed. One hundred twenty-five people in the Pentagon died from the attack.
In all, there were 189 casualties at the Pentagon, including 125 in the Pentagon and 64 on board Flight 77. Barbara Olson was en route to a taping of Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher.[40] A group of children, chaperons, and National Geographic Society staff members were also onboard, embarking on an educational trip to the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary near Santa Barbara, California.[41] The fatalities at the Pentagon included 55 military personnel and 70 civilians.[42] Of those 125 killed, 92 were on the first floor, 31 were on the second floor, and two were on the third.[43] The Army suffered 75 casualties—far more than any other branch. Another 106 injured were treated at area hospitals.[43] Lieutenant General Timothy Maude, an Army Deputy Chief of Staff, was the highest ranking military officer killed at the Pentagon.[44]
"I don‘t want to alarm anybody right now, but apparently—it felt just a few moments ago like there was an explosion of some kind here at the Pentagon."
Jim Miklaszewski, NBC Pentagon correspondent reporting from inside the Pentagon at 09:39[45]
The Pentagon is bordered by Interstate 395 and Washington Boulevard, on the side where the impact occurred. Mary Lyman, who was on I-395, saw the airplane pass over at a "steep angle toward the ground and going fast" and then saw the cloud of smoke from the Pentagon.[46] Omar Campo, another witness, was cutting the grass on the other side of the road when the plane flew over his head. "I was cutting the grass and it came in screaming over my head. I felt the impact. The whole ground shook and the whole area was full of fire. I could never imagine I would see anything like that here."[47] Afework Hagos, a computer programmer, was on his way to work but stuck in a traffic jam near the Pentagon when the plane flew over. "There was a huge screaming noise and I got out of the car as the plane came over. Everybody was running away in different directions. It was tilting its wings up and down like it was trying to balance. It hit some lampposts on the way in."[47] Daryl Donley witnessed the crash and took some of the first photographs after the crash.[48]
The collapsed area and subsequent fire damage
USA Today reporter Mike Walter was driving on Washington Boulevard when he witnessed the crash, which he recounted, "I looked out my window and I saw this plane, this jet, an American Airlines jet, coming. And I thought, 'This doesn't add up, it's really low.' And I saw it. I mean it was like a cruise missile with wings. It went right there and slammed right into the Pentagon".[49] Terrance Kean, who lived in a nearby apartment building, heard the noise of loud jet engines, glanced out his window, and saw a "very, very large passenger jet". He watched "it just plow right into the side of the Pentagon. The nose penetrated into the portico. And then it sort of disappeared, and there was fire and smoke everywhere."[50] AP reporter Dave Winslow recounted, "I saw the tail of a large airliner ... It plowed right into the Pentagon."[51] Tim Timmerman, who is a pilot himself, noticed American Airlines markings on the aircraft as he saw it hit the Pentagon.[52] Other drivers on Washington Boulevard, Interstate 395, and Columbia Pike witnessed the crash, as did people in Pentagon City, Crystal City, and other nearby locations.[46]
Rescue and recovery
"In this area … it's so hot that the debris is melting and dripping off the ceiling onto your skin and it would sear your skin and melt your uniform. We went a little farther, turned a corner and came into this bombed out office space that was a roaring inferno of destruction and smoke and flames and intense heat you could feel searing your face."
Lieutenant Commander David Tarantino describing the scene near the Navy Command Center on the first floor.[53]
Rescue efforts began immediately after the crash. Almost all the successful rescues of survivors occurred within half an hour of the impact.[54] Initially, rescue efforts were led by the military and civilian employees within the building. Within minutes, the first fire companies arrived and found these volunteers searching near the impact site. The firemen ordered them to leave as they were not properly equipped or trained to deal with the hazards.[54] The Arlington County Fire Department (ACFD) assumed command of the immediate rescue operation within 10 minutes of the crash. ACFD Assistant Chief James Schwartz implemented the Incident Command System (ICS) to coordinate response efforts among multiple agencies.[55] It took about an hour for the ICS structure to become fully operational.[56] Firefighters from Fort Myer and Reagan National arrived within minutes.[57][58] Rescue and firefighting efforts were impeded by rumors of additional incoming planes. Chief Schwartz ordered two evacuations during the day in response to these rumors.[59]
Injured victim of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon Building being loaded onto an ambulance.
As firefighters attempted to extinguish the fires, they watched the building in fear of a structural collapse. One firefighter remarked that they "pretty much knew the building was going to collapse because it started making weird sounds and creaking".[59] Officials saw a cornice of the building move and ordered an evacuation. Minutes later, at 10:15, the upper floors of the damaged area of the Pentagon collapsed.[59] The collapse area was about 95 feet (29 m) at its widest point and 50 feet (15 m) at its deepest.[59] This amount of time between impact and collapse allowed everyone on the fourth and fifth levels to evacuate safely before the structure collapsed.[60] After the collapse, the interior fires intensified, spreading through all five floors.[61] After 11:00, firefighters mounted a two-pronged attack against the fires. Officials estimated temperatures of up to 2,000 °F (1,090 °C).[61] While progress was made against the interior fires by late afternoon, firefighters realized a flammable layer of wood under the Pentagon's slate roof had caught fire and begun to spread.[62] Typical firefighting tactics were rendered useless by the reinforced structure as firefighters were unable to reach the fire to extinguish it.[62] Firefighters instead made firebreaks in the roof on September 12 to prevent any further spreading. At 18:00 on the 12th, Arlington County issued a press release stating the fire was "controlled" but not fully "extinguished". Firefighters continued to put out smaller fires that ignited in the succeeding days.[62]
Various pieces of aircraft debris were found within the wreckage at the Pentagon. While evacuating the Navy Command Center, Lt. Kevin Shaeffer came across the aircraft's nose cone and landing gear in the service road between rings B and C.[63] Early in the morning on Friday, September 14, Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team members and Brian Moravitz came across an "intact seat from the plane's thingypit",[64] while FBI and NTSB investigators located the two black boxes near the punch out hole in the A-E drive,[65] nearly 300 feet (91 m) into the building.[35] The thingypit voice recorder was too badly damaged and charred to retrieve any information,[66] though the flight data recorder yielded useful information.[31] In addition to aircraft debris, investigators also found a part of Nawaf al-Hazmi's identification card.[67] Personal effects belonging to passengers and office workers were also found, and taken to Fort Myer.[68]
Remains
Diagram of body fragments found in the Pentagon
Army engineers determined by 17:30 on the first day that no one remained alive in the damaged section of the building.[69] In the days after the crash, news reports emerged that up to 800 people had died.[70] Army troops from Fort Belvoir were the first teams to survey the interior of the crash site and noted the presence of human remains.[71] Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Urban Search and Rescue teams, including Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue assisted the search for remains, working through the National Interagency Incident Management System (NIIMS).[71][72] Kevin Rimrodt, a Navy photographer surveying the Navy Command Center after the attacks, remarked that "there were so many bodies, I'd almost step on them. So I'd have to really take care to look backwards as I'm backing up in the dark, looking with a flashlight, making sure I'm not stepping on somebody".[73] Debris from the Pentagon were taken to the Pentagon's north parking lot for more detailed search for remains and evidence.[74]
Remains recovered from the Pentagon were turned over to the Armed Forces Medical Examiner office, located at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. The medical examiner's office was able to identify remains belonging to 179 of the victims.[75] The remains of the five hijackers were identified through a process of elimination, and were turned over as evidence to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).[76] On September 21, the ACFD relinquished control of the crime scene to the FBI. The Washington Field Office, National Capital Response Squad (NCRS), and the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) led the crime scene investigation at the Pentagon.[58] By October 2, 2001, the search for evidence and remains was complete and the site was turned over to Pentagon officials.[74] Investigators eventually identified 184 of the 189 people who died in the attack identified by a forensic team.[77] In 2002, the remains of twenty-five victims were buried collectively at Arlington National Cemetery, with a five-sided granite marker inscribed with the names of all the victims in the Pentagon.[78] The ceremony also honored the five victims whose remains were never found.[78]
Continuity of operations.
At the moment of impact, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was in his office on the other side of the Pentagon, away from the crash site. He ran to the site and assisted the injured.[79] Rumsfeld then returned to his office, and went to a conference room in the Executive Support Center where he joined a secure videoteleconference with Vice President thingy Cheney and other officials.[80] On the day of the attacks, Department of Defense officials considered moving command operations to Site R, a backup facility in Pennsylvania. Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld insisted he remain at the Pentagon, instead sending Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz to Site R. The National Military Command Center (NMCC) continued to operate at the Pentagon, even with smoke getting into the facility.[81] Engineers and building managers manipulated the ventilation and other building systems that still functioned to draw smoke out of the NMCC and bring in fresh air.[82] During a press conference held inside the Pentagon at 18:42, Rumsfeld announced "The Pentagon's functioning. It will be in business tomorrow."[83] Pentagon employees returned to the next day to offices in areas of the Pentagon mostly unaffected. By the end of September, more workers returned to the lightly damaged areas of the Pentagon. [74]
Aftermath
Damaged section of the Pentagon under construction
Early estimates on rebuilding the damaged section of the Pentagon were that it would take three years to complete.[74] However, the project moved forward at an accelerated pace and was completed by the one-year anniversary.[84] The rebuilt section of the Pentagon includes a small indoor memorial and chapel at the point of impact.[85] An outdoor memorial, designed by Julie Beckman and Keith Kaseman, was completed on schedule for dedication on September 11, 2008.[86]
In keeping with standard airline procedure after disasters, the flight number was changed after the incident. American's morning flight from Dulles to Los Angeles is now Flight 149.[87]
Security camera video
Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon.
On May 16, 2006, the Department of Defense released filmed footage that was recorded by a security camera of American Airlines Flight 77 crashing into the Pentagon, with a plane visible in one frame, as a "thin white blur" and an explosion following.[88] The images were made public in response to a December 2004 Freedom of Information Act request by Judicial Watch.[89] Some still images from the video had previously been released and publicly circulated, but this was the first official release of the full video of the crash.[90] A nearby Citgo gas station also had security cameras, but this video released on September 15, 2006 did not show the crash because it was pointed away.[91][92] The Doubletree hotel, located nearby in Crystal City, Virginia, also had a security camera video, and on December 4, 2006 the FBI released the video in response to a freedom of information lawsuit filed by Scott Bingham. The footage is "grainy and the focus is soft, but a rapidly growing tower of smoke is visible in the distance on the upper edge of the frame as the plane crashes into the building".[93]
Conspiracy theories
Main article: 9/11 conspiracy theories
The 9/11 attacks have spawned a number of conspiracy theories challenging the mainstream account. One of the best-known theories was put forward by Thierry Meyssan which contends that the Pentagon was not hit by a Boeing 757, but by a missile launched by the American military.[94] Proponents say that the 75-foot (23 m) hole is too small to account for an aircraft with a wingspan of 124 feet (38 m).[95] Mete Sozen, a member of the ASCE team onsite after the crash, explained that an airplane does not create a "cartoon-like outline of itself" when crashing into a reinforced concrete building.[96] Conspiracy advocates also point to other minutiae such as small amount of debris or the condition of grass on the lawn.[95] The documentary film Loose Change asserts that there were no discernible pieces of debris from Flight 77.[97] Blast expert Allyn E. Kilsheimer was the first structural engineer to arrive at the Pentagon after the crash and helped coordinate the emergency response. He states that Flight 77 "was absolutely a plane. I saw the marks of the plane wing on the face of the building. I picked up parts of the plane with the airline markings on them. I held in my hand the tail section of the plane, and I found the black box." In addition, Kilsheimer's account is supported by the photos of plane wreckage inside and outside the building.[96]
References
1. ^ Kennedy, Helen (2002-09-10). "Hijack Plot Bared on Al Qaeda Video", Daily News. Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
2. ^ Yardley, Jonathan (2005-05-01). "The 9/11 Hijackers". The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
3. ^ "The Story of Ziad Jarrah". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (2005-01-19). Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
4. ^ a b "Hamburg cell reveals details". CNN (2001-09-18). Retrieved on 2008-06-22.
5. ^ Freedberg, Sydney P (2001-10-14). "He seemed like such a nice boy", St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
6. ^ Fouda, Yosri and Nick Fielding (2003). Masterminds of Terror: The Truth Behind the Most Devastating Terrorist Attack. Arcane Publishing, p. 128.
7. ^ Popkin, Jim (2006-10-01). "Video showing Atta, bin Laden is unearthed", MSNBC. Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
8. ^ a b c (2004) "Al Qaeda Aims at the American Homeland", 9/11 Commission Report. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. Retrieved on 2008-07-02.
9. ^ Fouda, Yosri and Nick Fielding (2003). Masterminds of Terror: The Truth Behind the Most Devastating Terrorist Attack. Arcane Publishing, p. 130.
10. ^ "George Tenet's al-Qaida testimony". The Guardian (2002-10-18). Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
11. ^ a b "Chronology", Monograph on 9/11 and Terrorist Travel (PDF), National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, 40. Retrieved on 2008-06-22.
12. ^ Candiotti, Susan (2001-09-19). "FBI returns to suspected hijacker's gym", CNN. Retrieved on 2008-07-19.
13. ^ Locy, Toni (2005-04-22). "Al-Qaeda's Moussaoui pleads guilty in plot to strike U.S. buildings with planes". USA Today. Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
14. ^ Savage, Charlie (2004-06-17). "9/11 Panel Says Plot Eyed 10 Planes; No Iraq Tie Seen", The Boston Globe.
15. ^ Sadler, Brent (2001-09-17). "Uncle calls hijack suspect 'innocent passenger'". CNN. Retrieved on 2008-06-22.
16. ^ Serrano, Richard A (2006-04-12). "Moussaoui jury hears struggle to the death", The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
17. ^ "Seventh Public Hearing – Monday, January 26, 2004". National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (2004-01-26). Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
18. ^ a b c "Flight Path Study - United Airlines Flight 93" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board (2002-02-19). Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Staff Report – "We Have Some Planes": The Four Flights — a Chronology" (PDF). National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. Retrieved on 2008-06-21.
20. ^ "People killed in plane attacks". USA Today (2001-09-25). Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q (2004) "'We Have Some Planes'", 9/11 Commission Report. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
22. ^ "The Aviation Security System and the 9/11 Attacks – Staff Statement No. 3" (PDF). National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. Retrieved on 2008-06-22.
23. ^ "Inside the mind of a terrorist". The Guardian (2004-08-22). Retrieved on 2008-06-22.
24. ^ a b c Pauley, Jane (2006-09-11). "No greater love", MSNBC. Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
25. ^ "Flight 93 Pilot's Wife Recalls Terror of Recording". ABC News (2006-04-13). Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
26. ^ Wald, Matthew L; Kevin Sack (2001-10-16). "A Nation Challenged: The Tapes; 'We Have Some Planes,' Hijacker Said on Sept. 11", The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
27. ^ a b c d (2004) "Notes", 9/11 Commission Report. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
28. ^ a b "Flight 93 hijacker: 'Shall we finish it off?'". CNN (2004-07-23). Retrieved on 2008-06-23.
29. ^ "Air Traffic Control Recording" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board (2001-12-21). Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
30. ^ Stout, David (2006-04-12). "Recording From Flight 93 Played at Trial", The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
31. ^ a b c d e f g h "Summary of Flight 93". United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Retrieved on 2008-06-23.
32. ^ a b c d e "Flight 93 Transcript". CNN (2006-04-12). Retrieved on 2008-06-23.
33. ^ Hirschkorn, Phil (2006-04-12). "On tape, passengers heard trying to retake thingypit", CNN. Retrieved on 2008-06-23.
34. ^ a b c d "Timeline for United Airlines Flight 93". National Public Radio (2004-06-17). Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
35. ^ a b Lewis, Neil A (2006-04-13). "Final Struggles on 9/11 Plane Fill Courtroom", The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-08-24.” [source - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines_Flight_77 on 11/03/2008]>>>.
AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 11 – THAT HIT WTC NORTH TOWER:
Information on American Airlines flight 11 from a respected encyclopedia – with references:
<<<”American Airlines Flight 11 was a scheduled U.S. domestic passenger flight from Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, to Los Angeles International Airport. It was hijacked by five Islamic terrorists and deliberately crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City as part of the September 11, 2001, attacks. Fifteen minutes into the flight, the hijackers injured at least three people, forcefully breached the thingypit, and overpowered the pilot and first officer. Mohamed Atta, who was a known member of al-Qaeda,[1][2] and trained as a pilot, took over the controls. Air traffic controllers noticed the flight was in distress when the crew stopped responding to them. They realized the flight had been hijacked when Atta mistakenly transmitted announcements to air traffic control. On board, two flight attendants contacted American Airlines, and provided information about the hijackers and injuries to passengers and crew.
The aircraft crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 08:46 local time; the impact killed all 92 people aboard, including the hijackers. Many people in the streets witnessed the collision, and Jules Naudet captured the impact on video. News agencies began to report on the incident soon after and speculated that the crash had been an accident. The impact and subsequent fire caused the North Tower to collapse, which resulted in thousands of additional casualties. During the recovery effort at the World Trade Center site, workers recovered and identified dozens of remains from Flight 11 victims, but many other body fragments could not be identified.
The American Airlines Flight 11 aircraft was a Boeing 767-223ER, registration number N334AA.[3] The capacity of the aircraft was 158 passengers but the September 11 flight carried only 81 passengers and 11 crew members. Although this was a light load at 51 percent capacity, the average load factor for Flight 11 on Tuesday mornings had been 39 percent in the months preceding September 11.[4] The 11 crew members included pilot John Ogonowski, First Officer Thomas McGuinness, and flight attendants Barbara Arestegui, Jeffrey Collman, Sara Low, Karen Martin, Kathleen Nicosia, Betty Ong, Jean Roger, Dianne Snyder, and Madeline Sweeney.[5]
Boarding
Atta (blue shirt) and al-Omari at Portland International Jetport, passing through security on the morning of 9/11
Mohamed Atta, the ringleader leader of the attacks, and a fellow hijacker, Abdulaziz al-Omari, arrived at Portland International Jetport at 05:40 Eastern Standard Time on September 11, 2001. They boarded Colgan Air Flight 5930, which was scheduled to depart at 06:00 from Portland, Maine and fly to Boston, Massachusetts. Both hijackers had first class tickets with a connecting flight to Los Angeles, California; Atta checked in two bags, al-Omari none.[4] When they checked in, the Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS) selected Atta for extra luggage scrutiny, but he boarded without incident.[6] The flight from Portland departed on time and arrived in Boston at 06:45. Three other hijackers, Waleed al-Shehri, Wail al-Shehri, and Satam al-Suqami, arrived at Logan Airport at 06:45, having left their rental car in the airport parking facility. At 06:52, Marwan al-Shehhi, the hijacker pilot of United Airlines Flight 175, made a call from a pay phone in Logan Airport to Atta's cell phone.[4][7]
Since they were not given boarding passes for Flight 11 in Portland, Atta and Omari checked in and went through security in Boston.[8] In the rushed check-in after the flight from Portland, airline officials did not load Atta's bags on Flight 11.[9][10] Suqami, Wail al-Shehri, and Waleed al-Shehri also checked in for the flight in Boston. Wail al-Shehri and Suqami each checked one bag; Waleed al-Shehri did not check any bags.[4] CAPPS selected all three for a detailed luggage check.[11] As the CAPPS' screening was only for luggage, the three hijackers did not undergo any extra scrutiny at the passenger security checkpoint.[12]
By 07:40, all five hijackers were aboard the flight, scheduled to depart at 07:45.[13][7] Mohamed Atta sat in business class seat 8D with Abdulaziz al-Omari in 8G and Suqami in 10B. Waleed al-Shehri and Wail al-Shehri sat in first class seats 2B and 2A respectively.[11] The aircraft taxied away from Gate 26 and departed Logan International Airport at 07:59 from runway 4R after a 14-minute delay.[14][15]
Hijacking
"Okay, my name is Betty Ong. I'm Number 3 on Flight 11. Our number 1 got stabbed. Our purser is stabbed. Nobody knows who stabbed who and we can't even get up to business class right now because nobody can breathe. And we can't get to the thingypit, the door won't open."
Flight attendant Betty Ong to the American Airlines emergency line.[16]
The 9/11 Commission estimated that the hijacking began at 08:14, when the pilots stopped responding to requests from the Boston Air Traffic Control center (BATC).[7] At 08:13:29, as the aircraft was passing 26,000 feet (7,900 m) over central Massachusetts, the pilots responded to a request from BATC to make a 20-degree turn to the right. At 08:13:47, BATC told the pilots to ascend to a cruising altitude of 35,000 feet (11,000 m) but got no response.[15] At 08:16, the aircraft leveled off at 29,000 feet (8,800 m)[15] and shortly thereafter deviated from its scheduled path. BATC made multiple attempts to talk to Flight 11 but got no reply,[7] and at 08:21, the flight stopped transmitting its Mode-C transponder signal.[15]
See Part Two:
INTRODUCTION:
It seems when ever something big and sensational wicked crime happens some one(s) comes up with either a conspiracy theory and/or confesses to the crime they did not commit.
With regard to the terrible wicked and evil crime against humanity that occurred on 9/11/2001, there have been over 100 conspiracy theories of all kinds put forth when in reality what happened really was quite clear; to wit, four jumbo jets full of fuel were hijacked by evil “nut cases” under the directions of a Muslim religious leader, Sheik Osama bin Ladin. Three of these were shortly flown into buildings – two were flown into the World Trade Center (WTC) and destroyed it with a loss of life of over 3,000 – one was flown into the Pentagon with a loss of life of about 100 – and the last crashed in Stonycreek Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania after the legitimate passengers fought with the hijackers on American Airlines flight 77.
In fact, I as well as many thousands of others actually watched as the second plane, United Flight 175, actually hit tower #2 of the WTC. But the “nut case” conspiracy weavers say absolutely dumb things such as:
“Whats the matter? You don't have LEGITIMATE EVIDENCE to prove that explosives not used in the twin tower?? Of course you don't. You only have stupid confession tape.”
Trying to put forth an absurd false theory that the building was brought down by explosives even though no tract of prima cord, electric detonation wire, explosive residue was ever found, and in spite of 100,000s seeting live TV coverage of the two jumbo jets hitting the building. Also, the survivors who made it out mentioned NO EXPLOSIVES. This false conspiracy theory will be dealt with later in my article in more detail. But an interesting fact is that this same “nut case” said there were no Arab named individuals on any of the flights which we all know was false.
One respected encyclopedia said,
<<<” The 9/11 attacks have spawned a number of conspiracy theories challenging the mainstream account. One of the best-known theories was put forward by Thierry Meyssan which contends that the Pentagon was not hit by a Boeing 757, but by a missile launched by the American military.[94] Proponents say that the 75-foot (23 m) hole is too small to account for an aircraft with a wingspan of 124 feet (38 m).[95] Mete Sozen, a member of the ASCE team onsite after the crash, explained that an airplane does not create a "cartoon-like outline of itself" when crashing into a reinforced concrete building.[96] Conspiracy advocates also point to other minutiae such as small amount of debris or the condition of grass on the lawn.[95] The documentary film Loose Change asserts that there were no discernible pieces of debris from Flight 77.[97] Blast expert Allyn E. Kilsheimer was the first structural engineer to arrive at the Pentagon after the crash and helped coordinate the emergency response. He states that Flight 77 "was absolutely a plane. I saw the marks of the plane wing on the face of the building. I picked up parts of the plane with the airline markings on them. I held in my hand the tail section of the plane, and I found the black box." In addition, Kilsheimer's account is supported by the photos of plane wreckage inside and outside the building.” [source - [source - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines_Flight_93 on 11/03/2008]
In fact, some on conspiracy Internet sites make statements that conflict with reality probably just for the notarity. One such statement was as follows:
<<<” Col. George Nelson, MBA, U.S. Air Force (ret) – Former U.S. Air Force aircraft accident investigator and airplane parts authority. Graduate, U.S. Air Force War College. 34-year Air Force career.
Licensed commercial pilot. Licensed airframe and powerplant mechanic.
* Essay: "In all my years of direct and indirect participation, I never witnessed nor even heard of an aircraft loss, where the wreckage was accessible, that prevented investigators from finding enough hard evidence to positively identify the make, model, and specific registration number of the aircraft -- and in most cases the precise cause of the accident. ...
The government alleges that four wide-body airliners crashed on the morning of September 11 2001, resulting in the deaths of more than 3,000 human beings, yet not one piece of hard aircraft evidence has been produced in an attempt to positively identify any of the four aircraft. On the contrary, it seems only that all potential evidence was deliberately kept hidden from public view. …
With all the evidence readily available at the Pentagon crash site, any unbiased rational investigator could only conclude that a Boeing 757 did not fly into the Pentagon as alleged. Similarly, with all the evidence available at the Pennsylvania crash site, it was most doubtful that a passenger airliner caused the obvious hole in the ground and certainly not the Boeing 757 as alleged. …
As painful and heartbreaking as was the loss of innocent lives and the lingering health problems of thousands more, a most troublesome and nightmarish probability remains that so many Americans appear to be involved in the most heinous conspiracy in our country's history." [source - patriotsquestion911.com/#Meacher on 11/02/2008]>>>.
Evidence showing this to be completely wrong will be shown in the part of this article dealing with American Airlines flight 77.
But as can be seen, some conspiracy theory weavers seek to cover up reality to hide the wicked and evil wrong doings of their beloved Muslim religious leader, Sheik Osama bin Ladin and others to grab a little bit of notarity.
WTC DEMOLITION AND MISSLE CONSPIRACIES:
One member of Islam actually said the following outright lie and absurd conspiracy theory,
“No commercial aircraft buried itself in Pennsylvania terra firma. The utter public silence from observing the many clips of high energy materials being ejected from the other side of WTC #2, from most probably a projectile with DU-hardening nose characteristics is deafening. Further, the two WTC Towers were explosive demolitions, without any doubts. WTC #7 crumbled under a classic demolition.”
This chapter, however, will NOT deal with the Pennsylvania crash of United Airlines flight 93, but only with the WTC. Another chapter will deal with United Airlines flight 93.
We have all seen pictures of the two different planes that hit the twin towers of the World Trade Center (WTC). In fact, I watched live coverage as it happened of the second plane actually hitting. As to a high energy materials being ejected from the other side of WTC #2 from a projectile with DU-hardening nose characteristics claim by this “nut case” member of Islam, this is of course just is absurd imagination from watching too many movies. He is no longer able to distinguish between movie fantasies and reality. In fact, he even used movie actors and movies as backup evidence for what he said; how utterly absurd. Here is what this Muslim “nut case” actually said,
"Mic hael Moore – Academy Award and Cannes Palme d'Or Award-winning producer, director, writer and author. His film and television projects includes; Sicko (2007), Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004), Bowling for Columbine (2002), The Awful Truth (4 TV episodes, 1999), And Justice for All (1998), TV Nation (1997), The Big One (1997), Canadian Bacon (1995), Pets or Meat: The Return to Flint (1992), Roger & Me (1989). Author of Dude, Where's My Country? (2004), Stupid White Men (2004), Will They Ever Trust Us Again? (2005).
Article 6/19/07: "I've had a number of firefighters tell me over the years and since Fahrenheit 9/11 that they heard these explosions -- that they believe there's MUCH more to the story than we've been told. I don't think the official investigations have told us the complete truth -- they haven't even told us half the truth. ...”
As can easily be seen, he knows his films, the make believe of Hollywood and Bollywood, but does not know or understand reality. Of course anyone who could believe in and worship a false god such as the mythical old middle eastern celestial mood god, "Allah," can imagine all sorts of imaginary things!
Of course I have answered him on the, The fact that he can NOT deal with reality but likes to spin lies and conspiracy theories (also lies) is clearly shown by his references to movies instead of reality and by the nonsense things he says. His statement with regard to firefighters hearing explosions clearly shows he is either ignorant of basic physics or does NOT WANT to accept basic physics. He said,
"I've had a number of firefighters tell me over the years and since Fahrenheit 9/11 that they heard these explosions –“
Yes, I am sure they heard some since when liquids get very hot, past their boiling point and expand in any closed container such as hot water heaters, transformers, and pipes in the infrastructure of any large building they tend to rupture their containment with explosive force.
To show his desperation with respect spinning conspiracy theories to cover up wrong doing, very evil and wicked acts, at the directions of a Muslim religious leader, Sheik Osama bin Ladin. He later claimed the firefighters heard these explosions before the planes hit the WTC, but he overlooked the fact that until the planes hit, there were no firefighters even there.
Then he tried to claim, not once, but twice that the buildings, WTC, were brought down by commercial demolition. This implication that the World Trade Center (WTC) was brought down by a controlled demolition and not by being hit by fuel loaded planes, in the words of a conspiracy monger who worships a false god.
" It was not struck by an aircraft as the Twin Towers were and video of the collapse appears to resemble those of buildings brought down by a controlled demolition."
Now of course it takes months of very careful preparation to do a controlled demolition of a tall building in which many holes are made at exact points and detonation wire and prima cord are carefully placed throughout the building. In fact, the building being primed for controlled demolition takes on the looks o***iant piece of Swiss cheese with detonation wire and prima cord everywhere so there would have been no possibility of this in the case of the WTC.
In addition, there were many continuous photographs of the two different planes actually hitting the two buildings which this dumb conspiracy theory overlooks. Clearly conspiracy weavers of this type are just trying to cover-up for the wrong doing of some of their religious leaders.”
Then, this “nut case” conspiracy weaver put forth another absurd theory as follows:
“The utter public silence from observing the many clips of high energy materials being ejected from the other side of WTC #2, from most probably a projectile with DU-hardening nose characteristics is deafening.”
Now how absurd can you get, a missile in downtown Manhattan big and powerful enough to destroy a building in broad daylight and no one would see it? This is getting more ridicules by the moment, and that it would hit at the same time as the plane – how utterly absurd. Also, there would have had to be two which our “nut case” Muslim conspiracy forgot. Manhattan is NOT downtown Beirut or Baghdad and any missile would have had to be very large and come from somewhere, but he neglects these all important facts.
Last, he fails to show any physical evidence for either of his false conspiracy theories that come right of Hollywood fiction. I call this a case of TRYING TO AVOID THE OBVIOUS.
AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 77 AND THE PENTAGON:
Now with respect the statement, previously posted in its entirety,
<<<” With all the evidence readily available at the Pentagon crash site, any unbiased rational investigator could only conclude that a Boeing 757 did not fly into the Pentagon as alleged. Similarly, with all the evidence available at the Pennsylvania crash site, it was most doubtful that a passenger airliner caused the obvious hole in the ground and certainly not the Boeing 757 as alleged.” [source - patriotsquestion911.com/#Meacher on 11/02/2008]
Let’s look at some reliable facts and statements by eye witnesses:
He then claimed to try and back up his false conspiracy theory, an outright lie, that,
“Heather Thomas: I'm going to go this far: There was no fuselage at the Pentagon. There was none that you could check out. They said it vaporized, and yet they produced bodies saying that they didn't vaporize. You can vaporize a two-ton engine? I don't think so. And a lot people say they closed the Twin Towers for weekends on end (directly before 9/11) and wouldn't even let the security people in there (because they were setting it up for demolition.) You can listen to this stuff, the knowledge is out there. You can see the pictures of the Pentagon (destruction). It's a solid hole. No airplane does damage like that. It was a b...”
Now, His absurd claim that no plane ever hit the Pentagon and that the FBI lied when it got two or three names mixed up due to unfamiliarity with strange foreign names,
“The FBI lied about the hijackers names, FBI lied about the calls. So why should we believe anything the at FBI said on 9/11? We are going to expose more lies. And Iris is happy that FBI lies as long as FBI said its done by Muslims (giggle). We will show later even there were no planes hitting pentagon and crash in Pennsylvania. Lets turn our attention to WTC 7:”
First, as we all well know, that there are many suspects in any major case and that sometimes the FBI makes mistakes at first with respect names and in a case with strange similarly sounding foreign, none English names, it would be expected that the FBI would at first make some errors – and they did. Now with respect calls from airplanes from cell phones or the airplane’s radio, in many cases these were recorded and I personally have listened to some of them so this conspiracy weaver is just telling just one more bold faced lie. With respect a plane hitting the Pentagon, let’s look at the evidence, the reality,
Second, with respect the Pentagon,
<<<” The Pentagon was designed in the early 40's and was completed in only 16 months on Jan 14, 1943. The shortages of materials required for war production raised many design and construction problems. The use of reinforced concrete in lieu of formed steel for the building made possible a saving of 43,000 tons of steel, more than enough to build a battleship. The use of concrete ramps rather than elevators further reduced steel requirements. Drainage pipes were concrete; ducts were fiber, interior doors were wood. An unusual wall design - concrete spandrels carried to window sill level - eliminated many miles of through-wall copper flashing.(Source1) (Source2)
...The exterior walls had been reinforced with steel beams and columns, bolted where they met at each floor. Some of these reinforced walls very near the point of impact remained in place for a half hour before collapsing, allowing uncounted hundreds to escape. "Had we not undertaken this effort," said Evey at a press briefing on September 15, "this could have been much, much worse."
...Looking At the Big Picture
From facts contained above, we can all agree that:
The length of the outside wall on any side of the pentagon is 921 feet.
The wingspan of a 757 is 124 feet 10 inches.
Now, everyone can agree that 921/125= roughly 7.4 right?
Given the size of the 757, and the size of the Pentagon, the damaged area fits in peftectly with the dimensions of both the aircraft and the building...
Here is the hole in the building - it's been reported by at least a dozen different sources (including conspiracy theory sites) to be a 16 to 20 foot hole. That is really interesting when you take into account the fact that the 757 body is 12 ft 4in wide and 13 ft 6in high. (Here is where I was mistaken in the past, like so very many others I was led astray by the HEIGHT of the aircraft, which is actually the measurement from the wheels-down to the tip of the tail. That measurement is for aircraft hangar clearance, not the SIZE of the aircraft.) The 757 is basically a cylinder that is 13 feet across. It then should not be surprising that it would create something around a thirteen foot hole in the side of the building...
Rim found at scene was double bead design as required by the NTSB. Other remains of the plane were also found, such as a large chunk of the bulkhead, a tire of type used on this type of plane, Aux Power Unit, the 'Black Box', etc.
...In layman's terms the crash dynamics worked like so: A large hollow tube, with a belly full of luggage, a passenger bay with 60 people, and wings full of fuel smashed into the side of an almost solid object while moving at a tremendous speed (somewhere around 350-400mph). When the 225,000lb+ plane hit, it smashed apart with such force from the crash that it became like one massive column of liquid (no, the plane didn't melt or turn into liquid, it just acted like one physically - mountainslides act the same way, a million tons of rock acts like a large field of liquid during a landslide even if no water is present). All the small parts, luggage, people, seats, and all the tens of thousands of pounds of fuel acting like a massive river came crashing into the wall of the Pentagon. This force burst through the outside wall and flowed through the inside to the next wall, and momentum carried this mass until it finally ran out of inertia at the 3rd ring.
"Aydan Kizildrgli, an English language student who is a native of Turkey, saw the jetliner bank slightly then strike a western wall of the huge five-sided building that is the headquarters of the nation's military. 'There was a big boom,' he said. 'Everybody was in shock. I turned around to the car behind me and yelled "Did you see that?" Nobody could believe it.'"
- "Bush Vows Retaliation for 'Evil Acts'." USA Today, 11 Sep 2001
"Frank Probst, an information management specialist for the Pentagon Renovation Program, left his office trailer near the Pentagon's south parking lot at 9:36 a.m. Sept. 11. Walking north beside Route 27, he suddenly saw a commercial airliner crest the hilltop Navy Annex. American Airlines Flight 77 reached him so fast and flew so low that Probst dropped to the ground, fearing he'd lose his head to its right engine."
- "A Defiant Recovery." The Retired Officer Magazine, January 2002
"Frank Probst, an information management specialist for the Pentagon Renovation Program, left his office trailer near the Pentagon's south parking lot at 9:36 a.m. Sept. 11. Walking north beside Route 27, he suddenly saw a commercial airliner crest the hilltop Navy Annex. American Airlines Flight 77 reached him so fast and flew so low that Probst dropped to the ground, fearing he'd lose his head to its right engine."
- "A Defiant Recovery." The Retired Officer Magazine, January 2002
"Afework Hagos, a computer programmer, was on his way to work but stuck in a traffic jam near the Pentagon when the plane flew over. 'There was a huge screaming noise and I got out of the car as the plane came over. Everybody was running away in different directions. It was tilting its wings up and down like it was trying to balance. It hit some lampposts on the way in.'"
- "Pentagon Eyewitness Accounts." The Guardian, 12 Sep 2001
"Henry Ticknor, intern minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, Virginia, was driving to church that Tuesday morning when American Airlines Flight 77 came in fast and low over his car and struck the Pentagon. 'There was a puff of white smoke and then a huge billowing black cloud,' he said."
- "Hell on Earth." UU World, Jan/Feb 20
"We were the only people, we think, who saw it live," Dan Creed said. He and two colleagues from Oracle software were stopped in a car near the Naval Annex, next to the Pentagon, when they saw the plane dive down and level off. "It was no more than 30 feet off the ground, and it was screaming. It was just screaming. It was nothing more than a guided missile at that point," Creed said. "I can still see the plane. I can still see it right now. It's just the most frightening thing in the world, going full speed, going full throttle, its wheels up," - Ahwatukee Foothill News
There are many more eyewitness accounts, but this is more than ample to blow away all the dumb conspiracy theories that 'nut cases' come up with. Why do they come up with them? For many reasons such as a wild imagination, not willing to accept reality - the facts, some are just clear out 'nut cases,' some want a little publicity, etc.
[source for much of this information is - www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread79655/pg1 in an article "9/11: A Boeing757 Struck the Pentagon," ]>>>.
Now with regard to his stating,
“And a lot people say they closed the Twin Towers for weekends on end (directly before 9/11) and wouldn't even let the security people in there (because they were setting it up for demolition.) You can listen to this stuff, the knowledge is out there. You can see the pictures of the Pentagon (destruction). It's a solid hole. No airplane does damage like that. It was a b...”
Also, there was no restriction of security personnel or anyone else who worked in the Twin Towers for weekends on end before the wicked evil cohorts of Muslim religious leader Sheik Osama bin Laden committed their evil act.
Now to even insinuate that all these workers in the WTC and other buildings would not have noticed if there were holes punched everywhere and wires and prima cord up and down stairwells and in offices for months on end is being absolutely absurd to the point of being insane. Now the only question is when will this “nut case” stop lying and come down to reality and/or be committed to a mental institution.
And, now an encyclopedia on American Flight 77 that struck the Pentagon and on surveillance cameras that filmed it with references included:
<<<” American Airlines Flight 77 was the third flight hijacked as part of the September 11 attacks, and it was deliberately crashed into the Pentagon. The scheduled U.S. domestic flight from Washington Dulles International Airport, near Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles International Airport was hijacked by five Islamic terrorists less than 35 minutes into the flight. The hijackers stormed the thingypit and forced the passengers to the rear of the aircraft. Hani Hanjour, one of the hijackers trained as a pilot, assumed control of the flight. Unknown to the hijackers, passengers aboard were able to make calls to loved ones and relay information on the hijacking.
The aircraft crashed into the western facade of the Pentagon at 09:37 Eastern Time. All 64 people on board and 125 in the building were killed, including the hijackers. Dozens of people witnessed the crash and news sources began reporting on the incident within minutes. The impact severely damaged an area of the Pentagon and ignited a large fire. A portion of the Pentagon collapsed and firefighters spent days trying to fully extinguish the blaze. The damage to the Pentagon was rebuilt in 2002, with occupants moving back into the damaged area on August 15, 2002.
The 184 victims of the attack are memorialized in the Pentagon Memorial adjacent to the Pentagon. The 1.93-acre (7,800 m2) park consists of 184 benches, one for each of the victims, arranged according to the year of birth, ranging from 1930 (age 71) to 1998 (age 3). Flight 77's flight path cuts directly through the park.
Hijackers
The hijackers on American Airlines Flight 77 included Hani Hanjour, who piloted the aircraft into the Pentagon.[1] Hanjour first came to the United States in 1990.[2] He trained at the CRM Airline Training Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, earning his FAA commercial pilot's certificate in April 1999.[3] He had wanted to be a commercial pilot for the Saudi national airline, but was rejected when he applied to the civil aviation school in Jeddah in 1999. Hanjour's brother later explained that, frustrated at not finding a job, Hanjour "increasingly turned his attention toward religious texts and cassette tapes of militant Islamic preachers".[4] Hanjour left Saudi Arabia in late 1999, telling his family that he was going to the United Arab Emirates to work for an airline.[5] Instead, Hanjour likely ended up in Afghanistan where Al Qaeda recruits were screened for special skills they may have. Already having selected the Hamburg Cell members, Al Qaeda leaders selected Hanjour to lead the fourth team of hijackers.[6]
In December 2000, Hanjour arrived in San Diego, joining "muscle" hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar, who had been there since November 1999.[5][7] Soon after arriving, Hanjour and al-Hazmi left for Mesa, Arizona, where Hanjour began refresher training at Arizona Aviation.[5] In April 2001, they relocated to Falls Church, Virginia, where they awaited the arrival of the remaining "muscle" hijackers.[5] One of these men, Majed Moqed, arrived on May 2, 2001 with Flight 175 hijacker Ahmed al-Ghamdi from Dubai at Dulles International Airport and moved into an apartment with al-Hazmi and Hanjour.[8]
On May 21, 2001, Hanjour rented a room in Paterson, New Jersey, where he stayed with other hijackers through the end of August.[9] The last Flight 77 "muscle" hijacker, Salem al-Hazmi, arrived on June 29, 2001 with Flight 11 hijacker Abdulaziz al-Omari at John F. Kennedy International Airport from the United Arab Emirates and stayed with Hanjour.[8] Hani Hanjour received ground instruction and did practice flights at Air Fleet Training Systems in Teterboro, New Jersey, and at Caldwell Flight Academy in Fairfield, New Jersey.[5] Hanjour moved out of the room in Paterson and arrived at the Valencia Motel in Laurel, Maryland on September 2, 2001.[9] While in Maryland, Hanjour and fellow hijackers trained at the Gold's Gym in Greenbelt.[10] On September 10, he completed a certification flight, using a terrain recognition system for navigation, at Congressional Air Charters in Gaithersburg, Maryland.[11][12] On September 10, Nawaf al-Hazmi, accompanied by other hijackers, checked into the Marriott in Herndon, Virginia.[13]
Flight
The American Airlines Flight 77 aircraft was a Boeing 757-223 (registration number N644AA).[14] The flight crew included pilot Charles Burlingame, First Officer David Charlebois, and flight attendants Michele Heidenberger, Jennifer Lewis, Kenneth Lewis, and Renee May.[15] The capacity of the aircraft was 176 passengers, but with 58 passengers on September 11, the load factor was 33 percent. Tuesdays were the least traveled day of the week, with the same level of load factor seen on Tuesdays in the previous three-months for Flight 77.[16]
Boarding
On the morning of September 11, 2001, the five hijackers arrived at Dulles International Airport, outside of Washington, D.C. At 07:15, Khalid al-Mihdhar and Majed Moqed checked-in at the American Airlines ticket counter for Flight 77,[17] and they arrived at the passenger security checkpoint a few minutes later at 07:18.[18] Both men set off the metal detector and were put through secondary screening. Moqed continued to set off the alarm, so he was searched with a hand wand.[19] The al-Hazmi brothers checked in together at the ticket counter at 07:29. Hani Hanjour checked in separately, and arrived at the passenger security checkpoint at 07:35.[12] Hanjour was followed minutes later at the checkpoint by Salem and Nawaf al-Hazmi, the latter who set off the metal detector's alarm. The screener at the checkpoint never resolved what set off the alarm. As seen in security footage later released, Nawaf Hazmi appeared to have an unidentified item in his back pocket, but four-inch utility knives were nonetheless permitted by the FAA as carry-on items.[19][17] The passenger security checkpoint at Dulles International Airport was operated by Argenbright Security, under contract with United Airlines.[20]
The hijackers were also all selected for extra screening of their checked bags. Hani Hanjour, Khalid al-Mihdhar, and Majed Moqed were chosen by the Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System criteria, while Nawaf al-Hazmi and Salem al-Hazmi were selected because they did not provide adequate identification and deemed suspicious by the airline check-in agent. Hanjour, al-Mihdhar, and Nawaf al-Hazmi did not check any bags for the flight. Checked bags belonging to Moqed and Salem al-Hazmi were held until they boarded the aircraft.[16] By 07:50, the five hijackers, carrying knives and box cutters, had made it through the airport security checkpoint and boarded Flight 77 to Los Angeles.[17] On the flight, Hani Hanjour was seated up front in 1B, while Salem and Nawaf al-Hazmi were seated further back in first class in 5E and 5F. Majed Moqed and Khalid al-Mihdhar were seated further back in 12A and 12B.[21] The flight was scheduled to depart at 08:10, but ended up departing 10 minutes late from Gate D26 at Dulles.[16]
The hijacking
Flight path taken by Flight 77
The 9/11 Commission estimated that the flight was hijacked between 08:51 and 08:54, just minutes after the first hijacked plane had struck the World Trade Center in Manhattan at 08:46. The last normal radio communications from the aircraft to air traffic control occurred at 08:50:51.[22] At 08:54, American Airlines Flight 77 began to deviate from its normal, assigned flight path and turned south.[17] The hijackers set the flight's autopilot heading for Washington, D.C.[23] By 08:56, the flight was turned around, and the transponder had been disabled. The FAA was aware at this point that there was an emergency aboard the plane. By this time, American Airlines Flight 11 had already crashed into the World Trade Center, and United Airlines Flight 175 was known to have been hijacked. After learning of this second hijacking involving American Airlines aircraft and the hijacking involving United Airlines, American Airlines Executive Vice President Gerard Arpey ordered a nationwide ground stop for the airline.[17] The Indianapolis Air Traffic Control Center, as well as American Airlines dispatchers, made several failed attempts to contact the aircraft. At the time the plane was hijacked, it was flying over an area of limited radar coverage.[24] With air controllers unable to contact the flight by radio, an Indianapolis official declared that the plane had possibly crashed at 09:09.[24]
Two people on American Airlines Flight 77 made phone calls to contacts on the ground. At 09:12, flight attendant Renee May called her mother, Nancy May, in Las Vegas.[21] During the call, which lasted nearly two minutes, May said her flight was being hijacked by six individuals and they had been moved to the rear of the plane.[17][21] May also asked her mother to contact American Airlines, which she and her husband promptly did.[17] American Airlines was already aware of the hijacking. Between 09:16 and 09:26, passenger Barbara Olson called her husband, United States Solicitor General Ted Olson, and reported that the plane had been hijacked and that the assailants had box cutters and knives.[17][25] She reported that the passengers, and possibly the crew, had been moved to the back of the plane and that the hijackers were unaware of her call. A minute into the conversation, the call was cut off. Theodore Olson contacted the command center at the Department of Justice, and tried unsuccessfully to contact Attorney General John Ashcroft.[17] About five minutes later, Barbara Olson called again, told her husband that the pilot had announced the flight was hijacked, and asked "what do I tell the pilot to do?"[26] Ted Olson asked her location and she reported the plane was flying over a residential area.[27] He then informed her of the attacks on the World Trade Center. Soon afterwards, the call cut off again.[17]
"The speed, the maneuverability, the way that he turned, we all thought in the radar room, all of us experienced air traffic controllers, that that was a military plane. You don't fly a 757 in that manner. It's unsafe."
Danielle O'Brien, Air traffic controller at Dulles International Airport[28]
A plane was detected again by Dulles controllers on radar screens as it approached Washington, turning and descending rapidly. Controllers initially thought this was a fighter plane, due to its high speed and maneuverability.[29] Reagan Airport controllers then asked a passing Air National Guard C-130 Hercules plane to identify and follow the aircraft. The pilot, Lt. Col. Steven O'Brien, told them it was a Boeing 757 or 767, and its silver fuselage meant it was probably an American Airlines jet. He had difficulty picking out the plane in the "East Coast haze", but then saw a "huge" fireball, and initially assumed it had hit the ground. Approaching the Pentagon, he saw the west side and reported to Reagan control, "Looks like that aircraft crashed into the Pentagon sir".[17][30]
Crash
Flight 77, flying at 530 miles per hour (853 km/h),[14] crashed into the western side of the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, just south of Washington, D.C. at 09:37:44, killing all 53 passengers, 5 hijackers, and 6 crew.[31] It clipped several street lampposts and the right wing hit a portable generator before impacting the Pentagon wall.[32][33] The flight hit the Pentagon at the first-floor level.[34] As it crashed, the plane was rolled slightly to the left, with the right wing elevated.[35] When the plane impacted, the front part of the fuselage disintegrated, while the mid and tail sections moved for another fraction of a second, with tail section debris pieces ending furthest into the building.[34] In all, the plane took eight-tenths of a second to fully penetrate 310 feet (94 m) into the three outermost rings[36] and unleashed a fireball that rose 200 feet (61 m) above the building.[34]
Debris from Flight 77 scattered near the Pentagon
At the time of the attacks, approximately 18,000 people worked in the Pentagon, which was 4,000 fewer than before renovations began in 1998.[37] The section of the Pentagon, which had recently been renovated at a cost of $250 million,[38] housed the Naval Command Center[39] and other Pentagon offices, as well as some unoccupied offices. The crash and subsequent fire penetrated three outer ring sections of the western side. The outermost ring section was largely destroyed, and a large section collapsed. One hundred twenty-five people in the Pentagon died from the attack.
In all, there were 189 casualties at the Pentagon, including 125 in the Pentagon and 64 on board Flight 77. Barbara Olson was en route to a taping of Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher.[40] A group of children, chaperons, and National Geographic Society staff members were also onboard, embarking on an educational trip to the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary near Santa Barbara, California.[41] The fatalities at the Pentagon included 55 military personnel and 70 civilians.[42] Of those 125 killed, 92 were on the first floor, 31 were on the second floor, and two were on the third.[43] The Army suffered 75 casualties—far more than any other branch. Another 106 injured were treated at area hospitals.[43] Lieutenant General Timothy Maude, an Army Deputy Chief of Staff, was the highest ranking military officer killed at the Pentagon.[44]
"I don‘t want to alarm anybody right now, but apparently—it felt just a few moments ago like there was an explosion of some kind here at the Pentagon."
Jim Miklaszewski, NBC Pentagon correspondent reporting from inside the Pentagon at 09:39[45]
The Pentagon is bordered by Interstate 395 and Washington Boulevard, on the side where the impact occurred. Mary Lyman, who was on I-395, saw the airplane pass over at a "steep angle toward the ground and going fast" and then saw the cloud of smoke from the Pentagon.[46] Omar Campo, another witness, was cutting the grass on the other side of the road when the plane flew over his head. "I was cutting the grass and it came in screaming over my head. I felt the impact. The whole ground shook and the whole area was full of fire. I could never imagine I would see anything like that here."[47] Afework Hagos, a computer programmer, was on his way to work but stuck in a traffic jam near the Pentagon when the plane flew over. "There was a huge screaming noise and I got out of the car as the plane came over. Everybody was running away in different directions. It was tilting its wings up and down like it was trying to balance. It hit some lampposts on the way in."[47] Daryl Donley witnessed the crash and took some of the first photographs after the crash.[48]
The collapsed area and subsequent fire damage
USA Today reporter Mike Walter was driving on Washington Boulevard when he witnessed the crash, which he recounted, "I looked out my window and I saw this plane, this jet, an American Airlines jet, coming. And I thought, 'This doesn't add up, it's really low.' And I saw it. I mean it was like a cruise missile with wings. It went right there and slammed right into the Pentagon".[49] Terrance Kean, who lived in a nearby apartment building, heard the noise of loud jet engines, glanced out his window, and saw a "very, very large passenger jet". He watched "it just plow right into the side of the Pentagon. The nose penetrated into the portico. And then it sort of disappeared, and there was fire and smoke everywhere."[50] AP reporter Dave Winslow recounted, "I saw the tail of a large airliner ... It plowed right into the Pentagon."[51] Tim Timmerman, who is a pilot himself, noticed American Airlines markings on the aircraft as he saw it hit the Pentagon.[52] Other drivers on Washington Boulevard, Interstate 395, and Columbia Pike witnessed the crash, as did people in Pentagon City, Crystal City, and other nearby locations.[46]
Rescue and recovery
"In this area … it's so hot that the debris is melting and dripping off the ceiling onto your skin and it would sear your skin and melt your uniform. We went a little farther, turned a corner and came into this bombed out office space that was a roaring inferno of destruction and smoke and flames and intense heat you could feel searing your face."
Lieutenant Commander David Tarantino describing the scene near the Navy Command Center on the first floor.[53]
Rescue efforts began immediately after the crash. Almost all the successful rescues of survivors occurred within half an hour of the impact.[54] Initially, rescue efforts were led by the military and civilian employees within the building. Within minutes, the first fire companies arrived and found these volunteers searching near the impact site. The firemen ordered them to leave as they were not properly equipped or trained to deal with the hazards.[54] The Arlington County Fire Department (ACFD) assumed command of the immediate rescue operation within 10 minutes of the crash. ACFD Assistant Chief James Schwartz implemented the Incident Command System (ICS) to coordinate response efforts among multiple agencies.[55] It took about an hour for the ICS structure to become fully operational.[56] Firefighters from Fort Myer and Reagan National arrived within minutes.[57][58] Rescue and firefighting efforts were impeded by rumors of additional incoming planes. Chief Schwartz ordered two evacuations during the day in response to these rumors.[59]
Injured victim of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon Building being loaded onto an ambulance.
As firefighters attempted to extinguish the fires, they watched the building in fear of a structural collapse. One firefighter remarked that they "pretty much knew the building was going to collapse because it started making weird sounds and creaking".[59] Officials saw a cornice of the building move and ordered an evacuation. Minutes later, at 10:15, the upper floors of the damaged area of the Pentagon collapsed.[59] The collapse area was about 95 feet (29 m) at its widest point and 50 feet (15 m) at its deepest.[59] This amount of time between impact and collapse allowed everyone on the fourth and fifth levels to evacuate safely before the structure collapsed.[60] After the collapse, the interior fires intensified, spreading through all five floors.[61] After 11:00, firefighters mounted a two-pronged attack against the fires. Officials estimated temperatures of up to 2,000 °F (1,090 °C).[61] While progress was made against the interior fires by late afternoon, firefighters realized a flammable layer of wood under the Pentagon's slate roof had caught fire and begun to spread.[62] Typical firefighting tactics were rendered useless by the reinforced structure as firefighters were unable to reach the fire to extinguish it.[62] Firefighters instead made firebreaks in the roof on September 12 to prevent any further spreading. At 18:00 on the 12th, Arlington County issued a press release stating the fire was "controlled" but not fully "extinguished". Firefighters continued to put out smaller fires that ignited in the succeeding days.[62]
Various pieces of aircraft debris were found within the wreckage at the Pentagon. While evacuating the Navy Command Center, Lt. Kevin Shaeffer came across the aircraft's nose cone and landing gear in the service road between rings B and C.[63] Early in the morning on Friday, September 14, Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team members and Brian Moravitz came across an "intact seat from the plane's thingypit",[64] while FBI and NTSB investigators located the two black boxes near the punch out hole in the A-E drive,[65] nearly 300 feet (91 m) into the building.[35] The thingypit voice recorder was too badly damaged and charred to retrieve any information,[66] though the flight data recorder yielded useful information.[31] In addition to aircraft debris, investigators also found a part of Nawaf al-Hazmi's identification card.[67] Personal effects belonging to passengers and office workers were also found, and taken to Fort Myer.[68]
Remains
Diagram of body fragments found in the Pentagon
Army engineers determined by 17:30 on the first day that no one remained alive in the damaged section of the building.[69] In the days after the crash, news reports emerged that up to 800 people had died.[70] Army troops from Fort Belvoir were the first teams to survey the interior of the crash site and noted the presence of human remains.[71] Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Urban Search and Rescue teams, including Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue assisted the search for remains, working through the National Interagency Incident Management System (NIIMS).[71][72] Kevin Rimrodt, a Navy photographer surveying the Navy Command Center after the attacks, remarked that "there were so many bodies, I'd almost step on them. So I'd have to really take care to look backwards as I'm backing up in the dark, looking with a flashlight, making sure I'm not stepping on somebody".[73] Debris from the Pentagon were taken to the Pentagon's north parking lot for more detailed search for remains and evidence.[74]
Remains recovered from the Pentagon were turned over to the Armed Forces Medical Examiner office, located at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. The medical examiner's office was able to identify remains belonging to 179 of the victims.[75] The remains of the five hijackers were identified through a process of elimination, and were turned over as evidence to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).[76] On September 21, the ACFD relinquished control of the crime scene to the FBI. The Washington Field Office, National Capital Response Squad (NCRS), and the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) led the crime scene investigation at the Pentagon.[58] By October 2, 2001, the search for evidence and remains was complete and the site was turned over to Pentagon officials.[74] Investigators eventually identified 184 of the 189 people who died in the attack identified by a forensic team.[77] In 2002, the remains of twenty-five victims were buried collectively at Arlington National Cemetery, with a five-sided granite marker inscribed with the names of all the victims in the Pentagon.[78] The ceremony also honored the five victims whose remains were never found.[78]
Continuity of operations.
At the moment of impact, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was in his office on the other side of the Pentagon, away from the crash site. He ran to the site and assisted the injured.[79] Rumsfeld then returned to his office, and went to a conference room in the Executive Support Center where he joined a secure videoteleconference with Vice President thingy Cheney and other officials.[80] On the day of the attacks, Department of Defense officials considered moving command operations to Site R, a backup facility in Pennsylvania. Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld insisted he remain at the Pentagon, instead sending Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz to Site R. The National Military Command Center (NMCC) continued to operate at the Pentagon, even with smoke getting into the facility.[81] Engineers and building managers manipulated the ventilation and other building systems that still functioned to draw smoke out of the NMCC and bring in fresh air.[82] During a press conference held inside the Pentagon at 18:42, Rumsfeld announced "The Pentagon's functioning. It will be in business tomorrow."[83] Pentagon employees returned to the next day to offices in areas of the Pentagon mostly unaffected. By the end of September, more workers returned to the lightly damaged areas of the Pentagon. [74]
Aftermath
Damaged section of the Pentagon under construction
Early estimates on rebuilding the damaged section of the Pentagon were that it would take three years to complete.[74] However, the project moved forward at an accelerated pace and was completed by the one-year anniversary.[84] The rebuilt section of the Pentagon includes a small indoor memorial and chapel at the point of impact.[85] An outdoor memorial, designed by Julie Beckman and Keith Kaseman, was completed on schedule for dedication on September 11, 2008.[86]
In keeping with standard airline procedure after disasters, the flight number was changed after the incident. American's morning flight from Dulles to Los Angeles is now Flight 149.[87]
Security camera video
Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon.
On May 16, 2006, the Department of Defense released filmed footage that was recorded by a security camera of American Airlines Flight 77 crashing into the Pentagon, with a plane visible in one frame, as a "thin white blur" and an explosion following.[88] The images were made public in response to a December 2004 Freedom of Information Act request by Judicial Watch.[89] Some still images from the video had previously been released and publicly circulated, but this was the first official release of the full video of the crash.[90] A nearby Citgo gas station also had security cameras, but this video released on September 15, 2006 did not show the crash because it was pointed away.[91][92] The Doubletree hotel, located nearby in Crystal City, Virginia, also had a security camera video, and on December 4, 2006 the FBI released the video in response to a freedom of information lawsuit filed by Scott Bingham. The footage is "grainy and the focus is soft, but a rapidly growing tower of smoke is visible in the distance on the upper edge of the frame as the plane crashes into the building".[93]
Conspiracy theories
Main article: 9/11 conspiracy theories
The 9/11 attacks have spawned a number of conspiracy theories challenging the mainstream account. One of the best-known theories was put forward by Thierry Meyssan which contends that the Pentagon was not hit by a Boeing 757, but by a missile launched by the American military.[94] Proponents say that the 75-foot (23 m) hole is too small to account for an aircraft with a wingspan of 124 feet (38 m).[95] Mete Sozen, a member of the ASCE team onsite after the crash, explained that an airplane does not create a "cartoon-like outline of itself" when crashing into a reinforced concrete building.[96] Conspiracy advocates also point to other minutiae such as small amount of debris or the condition of grass on the lawn.[95] The documentary film Loose Change asserts that there were no discernible pieces of debris from Flight 77.[97] Blast expert Allyn E. Kilsheimer was the first structural engineer to arrive at the Pentagon after the crash and helped coordinate the emergency response. He states that Flight 77 "was absolutely a plane. I saw the marks of the plane wing on the face of the building. I picked up parts of the plane with the airline markings on them. I held in my hand the tail section of the plane, and I found the black box." In addition, Kilsheimer's account is supported by the photos of plane wreckage inside and outside the building.[96]
References
1. ^ Kennedy, Helen (2002-09-10). "Hijack Plot Bared on Al Qaeda Video", Daily News. Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
2. ^ Yardley, Jonathan (2005-05-01). "The 9/11 Hijackers". The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
3. ^ "The Story of Ziad Jarrah". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (2005-01-19). Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
4. ^ a b "Hamburg cell reveals details". CNN (2001-09-18). Retrieved on 2008-06-22.
5. ^ Freedberg, Sydney P (2001-10-14). "He seemed like such a nice boy", St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
6. ^ Fouda, Yosri and Nick Fielding (2003). Masterminds of Terror: The Truth Behind the Most Devastating Terrorist Attack. Arcane Publishing, p. 128.
7. ^ Popkin, Jim (2006-10-01). "Video showing Atta, bin Laden is unearthed", MSNBC. Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
8. ^ a b c (2004) "Al Qaeda Aims at the American Homeland", 9/11 Commission Report. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. Retrieved on 2008-07-02.
9. ^ Fouda, Yosri and Nick Fielding (2003). Masterminds of Terror: The Truth Behind the Most Devastating Terrorist Attack. Arcane Publishing, p. 130.
10. ^ "George Tenet's al-Qaida testimony". The Guardian (2002-10-18). Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
11. ^ a b "Chronology", Monograph on 9/11 and Terrorist Travel (PDF), National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, 40. Retrieved on 2008-06-22.
12. ^ Candiotti, Susan (2001-09-19). "FBI returns to suspected hijacker's gym", CNN. Retrieved on 2008-07-19.
13. ^ Locy, Toni (2005-04-22). "Al-Qaeda's Moussaoui pleads guilty in plot to strike U.S. buildings with planes". USA Today. Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
14. ^ Savage, Charlie (2004-06-17). "9/11 Panel Says Plot Eyed 10 Planes; No Iraq Tie Seen", The Boston Globe.
15. ^ Sadler, Brent (2001-09-17). "Uncle calls hijack suspect 'innocent passenger'". CNN. Retrieved on 2008-06-22.
16. ^ Serrano, Richard A (2006-04-12). "Moussaoui jury hears struggle to the death", The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
17. ^ "Seventh Public Hearing – Monday, January 26, 2004". National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (2004-01-26). Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
18. ^ a b c "Flight Path Study - United Airlines Flight 93" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board (2002-02-19). Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Staff Report – "We Have Some Planes": The Four Flights — a Chronology" (PDF). National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. Retrieved on 2008-06-21.
20. ^ "People killed in plane attacks". USA Today (2001-09-25). Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q (2004) "'We Have Some Planes'", 9/11 Commission Report. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
22. ^ "The Aviation Security System and the 9/11 Attacks – Staff Statement No. 3" (PDF). National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. Retrieved on 2008-06-22.
23. ^ "Inside the mind of a terrorist". The Guardian (2004-08-22). Retrieved on 2008-06-22.
24. ^ a b c Pauley, Jane (2006-09-11). "No greater love", MSNBC. Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
25. ^ "Flight 93 Pilot's Wife Recalls Terror of Recording". ABC News (2006-04-13). Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
26. ^ Wald, Matthew L; Kevin Sack (2001-10-16). "A Nation Challenged: The Tapes; 'We Have Some Planes,' Hijacker Said on Sept. 11", The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
27. ^ a b c d (2004) "Notes", 9/11 Commission Report. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
28. ^ a b "Flight 93 hijacker: 'Shall we finish it off?'". CNN (2004-07-23). Retrieved on 2008-06-23.
29. ^ "Air Traffic Control Recording" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board (2001-12-21). Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
30. ^ Stout, David (2006-04-12). "Recording From Flight 93 Played at Trial", The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
31. ^ a b c d e f g h "Summary of Flight 93". United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Retrieved on 2008-06-23.
32. ^ a b c d e "Flight 93 Transcript". CNN (2006-04-12). Retrieved on 2008-06-23.
33. ^ Hirschkorn, Phil (2006-04-12). "On tape, passengers heard trying to retake thingypit", CNN. Retrieved on 2008-06-23.
34. ^ a b c d "Timeline for United Airlines Flight 93". National Public Radio (2004-06-17). Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
35. ^ a b Lewis, Neil A (2006-04-13). "Final Struggles on 9/11 Plane Fill Courtroom", The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-08-24.” [source - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines_Flight_77 on 11/03/2008]>>>.
AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 11 – THAT HIT WTC NORTH TOWER:
Information on American Airlines flight 11 from a respected encyclopedia – with references:
<<<”American Airlines Flight 11 was a scheduled U.S. domestic passenger flight from Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, to Los Angeles International Airport. It was hijacked by five Islamic terrorists and deliberately crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City as part of the September 11, 2001, attacks. Fifteen minutes into the flight, the hijackers injured at least three people, forcefully breached the thingypit, and overpowered the pilot and first officer. Mohamed Atta, who was a known member of al-Qaeda,[1][2] and trained as a pilot, took over the controls. Air traffic controllers noticed the flight was in distress when the crew stopped responding to them. They realized the flight had been hijacked when Atta mistakenly transmitted announcements to air traffic control. On board, two flight attendants contacted American Airlines, and provided information about the hijackers and injuries to passengers and crew.
The aircraft crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 08:46 local time; the impact killed all 92 people aboard, including the hijackers. Many people in the streets witnessed the collision, and Jules Naudet captured the impact on video. News agencies began to report on the incident soon after and speculated that the crash had been an accident. The impact and subsequent fire caused the North Tower to collapse, which resulted in thousands of additional casualties. During the recovery effort at the World Trade Center site, workers recovered and identified dozens of remains from Flight 11 victims, but many other body fragments could not be identified.
The American Airlines Flight 11 aircraft was a Boeing 767-223ER, registration number N334AA.[3] The capacity of the aircraft was 158 passengers but the September 11 flight carried only 81 passengers and 11 crew members. Although this was a light load at 51 percent capacity, the average load factor for Flight 11 on Tuesday mornings had been 39 percent in the months preceding September 11.[4] The 11 crew members included pilot John Ogonowski, First Officer Thomas McGuinness, and flight attendants Barbara Arestegui, Jeffrey Collman, Sara Low, Karen Martin, Kathleen Nicosia, Betty Ong, Jean Roger, Dianne Snyder, and Madeline Sweeney.[5]
Boarding
Atta (blue shirt) and al-Omari at Portland International Jetport, passing through security on the morning of 9/11
Mohamed Atta, the ringleader leader of the attacks, and a fellow hijacker, Abdulaziz al-Omari, arrived at Portland International Jetport at 05:40 Eastern Standard Time on September 11, 2001. They boarded Colgan Air Flight 5930, which was scheduled to depart at 06:00 from Portland, Maine and fly to Boston, Massachusetts. Both hijackers had first class tickets with a connecting flight to Los Angeles, California; Atta checked in two bags, al-Omari none.[4] When they checked in, the Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS) selected Atta for extra luggage scrutiny, but he boarded without incident.[6] The flight from Portland departed on time and arrived in Boston at 06:45. Three other hijackers, Waleed al-Shehri, Wail al-Shehri, and Satam al-Suqami, arrived at Logan Airport at 06:45, having left their rental car in the airport parking facility. At 06:52, Marwan al-Shehhi, the hijacker pilot of United Airlines Flight 175, made a call from a pay phone in Logan Airport to Atta's cell phone.[4][7]
Since they were not given boarding passes for Flight 11 in Portland, Atta and Omari checked in and went through security in Boston.[8] In the rushed check-in after the flight from Portland, airline officials did not load Atta's bags on Flight 11.[9][10] Suqami, Wail al-Shehri, and Waleed al-Shehri also checked in for the flight in Boston. Wail al-Shehri and Suqami each checked one bag; Waleed al-Shehri did not check any bags.[4] CAPPS selected all three for a detailed luggage check.[11] As the CAPPS' screening was only for luggage, the three hijackers did not undergo any extra scrutiny at the passenger security checkpoint.[12]
By 07:40, all five hijackers were aboard the flight, scheduled to depart at 07:45.[13][7] Mohamed Atta sat in business class seat 8D with Abdulaziz al-Omari in 8G and Suqami in 10B. Waleed al-Shehri and Wail al-Shehri sat in first class seats 2B and 2A respectively.[11] The aircraft taxied away from Gate 26 and departed Logan International Airport at 07:59 from runway 4R after a 14-minute delay.[14][15]
Hijacking
"Okay, my name is Betty Ong. I'm Number 3 on Flight 11. Our number 1 got stabbed. Our purser is stabbed. Nobody knows who stabbed who and we can't even get up to business class right now because nobody can breathe. And we can't get to the thingypit, the door won't open."
Flight attendant Betty Ong to the American Airlines emergency line.[16]
The 9/11 Commission estimated that the hijacking began at 08:14, when the pilots stopped responding to requests from the Boston Air Traffic Control center (BATC).[7] At 08:13:29, as the aircraft was passing 26,000 feet (7,900 m) over central Massachusetts, the pilots responded to a request from BATC to make a 20-degree turn to the right. At 08:13:47, BATC told the pilots to ascend to a cruising altitude of 35,000 feet (11,000 m) but got no response.[15] At 08:16, the aircraft leveled off at 29,000 feet (8,800 m)[15] and shortly thereafter deviated from its scheduled path. BATC made multiple attempts to talk to Flight 11 but got no reply,[7] and at 08:21, the flight stopped transmitting its Mode-C transponder signal.[15]
See Part Two: