American Airlines Flight 11
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| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | September 11 2001 |
| Type | Hijacking |
| Site | World Trade Center |
| Fatalities | 92 + 1366 (Tower 1) |
| Injuries | Unknown in Tower 1 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 767-223ER |
| Operator | American Airlines |
| Tail number | N334AA |
| Passengers | 81 (incl. 5 hijackers) |
| Crew | 11 |
| Survivors | 0 |
- "Flight 11" redirects here. For the Continental Airlines flight that was bombed in 1962, see Continental Airlines Flight 11.
American Airlines Flight 11 was the first flight hijacked in the September 11, 2001 attacks. It was an American Airlines flight aboard a Boeing 767-223ER aircraft, registration number N334AA, which regularly flew from Logan International Airport in East Boston, Massachusetts, to Los Angeles International Airport. On September 11, 2001, the aircraft on this route was hijacked, and was crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City at 8:46 a.m.
Contents |
[edit] Hijackers
Five hijackers were aboard the flight:
- Mohamed Atta al Sayed (Egyptian) - the ringleader and pilot, was in seat 8D.
- Waleed al-Shehri (Saudi Arabian) - sat in seat 2B
- Wail al-Shehri (Saudi Arabian) - sat next to Waleed, in seat 2A
- Abdulaziz al-Omari (Saudi Arabian) - had earlier flown with Atta to Logan Airport from Portland, Maine
- Satam al-Suqami (Saudi Arabian) - had paid in cash that day, sat in seat 10B
Four of the hijackers were selected by CAPPS for extra screening of their checked bags for explosives. Mohamed Atta was selected when he checked in at Portland International Jetport, while Satam al-Suqami, Wail al-Shehri, and Waleed al-Shehri were selected in Boston. Since Waleed had checked no bags, CAPPS screening had no effect on him, while the others merely had their bags undergo extra screening. CAPPS selectees did not undergo any extra scrutiny at the passenger security checkpoint.<ref name="staff">The Aviation Security System and the 9/11 Attacks - Staff Statement No. 3. 9/11 Commission.</ref>
[edit] The Flight
The flight was regularly scheduled for takeoff at 7:45 a.m.<ref>9/11 Investigation (PENTTBOM), FBI, national Press Release, September 2001</ref> However, boarding was running behind schedule, and at 7:45 a.m., lead hijackers Mohammed Atta and Abdulaziz Alomari were still boarding the plane. In the rush, Atta's bags were not loaded onto the plane in time. <ref>(7:45 a.m.): Hijack Suspects’ Bags Contain Airline Uniforms</ref> Ultimately running 14 minutes late, the flight finally took off from Logan International Airport at 7:59 a.m.<ref name="ch1">9/11 Commission Report (Chapter 1) (July 2004).</ref> The 9/11 Commission estimates that the hijacking began at 8:14 a.m.<ref name="ch1"/> John Ogonowski (Pilot) and Thomas F. McGuinness Jr. (First Officer) were in control until the plane was hijacked. Around 8:20 a.m. the flight stopped transmitting its Mode-C transponder signal and started to deviate from its scheduled path. Boston Air Control made multiple attempts at contacting Flight 11 but received no response.<ref name="ch1"/> At 8:24 a.m., Atta used the plane's intercom saying we have some planes just stay quiet and you'll be okay we are returning to the airport. Then the plane made a 100-degree turn to the south heading toward New York City.<ref>Flight 11 NTSB Report</ref>
Flight attendants Madeline Amy Sweeney and Betty Ong supplied information by phone on what happened. According to them, three people – two attendants and a passenger – were stabbed or had their throats slashed by the hijackers. The passenger, Daniel Lewin, a notable Internet entrepreneur, had also previously served as an officer in the elite Sayeret Matkal unit of the Israeli military. A 2002 FAA memo referenced Lewin as possibly being killed by Satam al-Suqami after he attempted to stop the hijacking.
The first-class area had been sequestered by the surviving crew, and the rest of the passengers had been led to believe that a medical emergency was taking place in the first class area. The hijackers also used mace, pepper spray or some other aerosol spray-based irritant to discourage entry into the first class area and the cockpit. One passenger reported her eyes were burning and that she was having trouble breathing.
[edit] NORAD response
The Federal Aviation Administration's Boston Air Traffic Control Center was responsible for monitoring American Airlines Flight 11, as it departed from Logan. After repeated attempts to contact the aircraft, along with transmissions from the plane "we have some planes.", the air traffic controller knew this was a hijacking. He alerted his supervisor, who then began notifying the chain of command of the hijacking, and that the flight was heading into the New York Center's airspace. At 8:32 a.m., the FAA Command Center in Herndon, Virginia notified FAA headquarters.<ref name="ch1"/>
At 8:37:52 a.m., the Boston Control Center bypassed standard protocols and directly contacted NORAD's Northeast Air Defense Sector (NEADS) in Rome, New York.<ref name="ch1"/> NEADS called on two F-15 fighter jets at Otis Air Force Base in Falmouth, Massachusetts to scramble, intending to intercept Flight 11. The F-15 fighters took off from Otis at 8:46 a.m.<ref name="ch1"/> By this time, American Airlines Flight 11 had already crashed into the World Trade Center.
Because Flight 11's transponder was off, United States Air Force pilots did not know which direction to travel to meet the plane. NEADS spent the next several minutes watching their radar screens in anticipation of Flight 11 returning a radar contact. The nine minutes of advanced notification about the hijacking of Flight 11 was the most that NORAD received out of the four hijacked aircraft on 9/11.<ref>Kean, Thomas H., Lee H. Hamilton. “The Story in the Sky”, Without Precident. Alfred A. Knopf, p. 263.</ref>
[edit] Crash into North Tower of WTC
At 8:46:40 a.m., Flight 11 was deliberately crashed into the northern facade of the North Tower (building 1) of the World Trade Center between the 93rd to the 99th floors. This was the first crash in the attacks of the day. All on board (11 crew, 76 passengers, and 5 hijackers) were killed.
Jules Naudet, a French cameraman, and Pavel Hlava, a Czech immigrant, both filmed the crash of the plane into the building. <ref>[1]</ref>
The first news and radio organizations reported an explosion or incident at the World Trade Center, CNN broke into a commercial at 8:49 a.m. CNN headlines first read 'World Trade Center Disaster.' Carol Lin, who was the first anchor to break the news of the attacks, said:
"Yeah. This just in. You're looking at obviously a very disturbing live shot there. That is the World Trade Center, and we have unconfirmed reports this morning that a plane has crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center." [2]
The crash was also witnessed by nearby pedestrians and drivers. Initial news reports speculated the crash as a terrible accident until Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower 17 minutes later. [3]
Later, Sean Murtagh, CNN vice-president of finance, in an on-air phone call, said from his office in the CNN New York bureau that a large passenger commercial jet hit the World Trade Center.
Eventually, all other TV networks interrupted regular broadcasting with news of the crash.
[edit] Casualties
The damage caused by the impact destroyed any means of escape from above the impact zone. 1366 people were at or above the floors of impact in the North Tower (1 WTC): according to the Commission Report hundreds were killed instantly by the impact [4], the rest were trapped and died later, Either from jumping from the burning building or the eventual collapse.
Cantor Fitzgerald L.P., an investment bank on the 101st-105th floors of One World Trade Center, lost 658 employees, considerably more than any other employer.
Many rescue workers (400 for the two towers together, most of them of the FDNY), died when the tower collapsed.
Plane passengers included:
- David Angell, American television producer (b. 1946)
- Berry Berenson, American actress and photographer (b. 1948)
- Charles Edward Jones, a military astronaut (b. 1952)
- Carolyn Beug, music video producer (b. 1953)
Although the impact itself caused extensive structural damage, it was the long-lasting fire, starting with burning jet fuel, that is blamed for the structural failure of the North Tower. Many have speculated that this is why the hijackers chose to use this fully fueled transcontinental flight. The centralized-support design (in the center core and exterior walls, instead of throughout) of the towers also contributed to the collapse. In a later recording, Osama bin Laden seems to take credit for the attack and states that he did not expect the towers would collapse.
[edit] Miscellaneous
The flight route designation (flight number) for future flights on the same route at the same takeoff time was changed to "Flight 25" to disassociate other planes from the one used in the attack and out of respect for those who had died in the attack. An American flag now flies on the jet bridge that Flight 11 departed from at Logan Airport. The renamed flight also changed the aircraft used on the route. Instead of using a Boeing 767-223ER, a Boeing 757-223 is used.
Seth MacFarlane, creator of the animated TV series Family Guy, was booked on Flight 11, but due to a mix up, missed the plane. His travel agent told him the flight departed at 8:15 instead of 7:45, and he arrived just after the plane had boarded. [5]
Initial suspects were:
[edit] References
<references/>
[edit] External links
- The Final 9/11 Commission Report
- AA Flight 11: Minute by Minute
- CBS Story aboard Flight 11
- 9-11 NTSB Report
- American Airlines Flight 11 manifestfr:Vol 11 American Airlines
it:11 settembre 2001 - Volo American Airlines 11 sv:American Airlines Flight 11
