Featured Article Summary #247

American Airlines Flight 11 was a scheduled passenger flight from Boston to Los Angeles that was hijacked by Mohamed Atta and four other al-Qaeda attackers on the morning of September 11, 2001. Atta took control and deliberately flew the plane into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York, killing all 92 people on board, as well as many people on the ground. The crash blocked escape routes for occupants above the impact area, trapping more than 1,300 people who all died. The attack resulted in the highest death toll of the four hijacked flights and is considered the deadliest aviation incident in history. During the hijacking, the crew was attacked and air traffic controllers gradually realized what was happening when Atta’s message was accidentally broadcast to them. The North Tower later collapsed due to the damage and fires from the crash, and though some remains from Flight 11 were found, many victims have never been identified. The hijacked aircraft was a Boeing 767-200ER (built and delivered in 1987) carrying 81 passengers and 11 crew, which was a lighter-than-usual load for that time of week but still higher than recent Tuesday morning averages. The flight crew included Captain John Ogonowski and First Officer Thomas McGuinness Jr., along with a total of 92 people on board who all died. Victims included several notable public figures, and some other well-known people had been scheduled to fly but canceled or missed their plans. Mohamed Atta and Abdulaziz al-Omari arrived at Portland International Jetport early on September 11, 2001, and behaved oddly when asked for identification. A ticket agent became suspicious but decided not to act; instead, he refused to issue boarding passes and told them to recheck in at Boston, after which the two went through security. They then flew from Portland to Boston on a connecting flight, were selected for extra luggage checks but still boarded without problems, and shortly after arriving in Boston another hijacker called Atta’s phone to confirm the attacks were ready to start. Some of the hijackers checked in at Boston instead of Portland and went through security only for luggage checks, which meant they did not receive extra scrutiny at the passenger checkpoint. First Officer Lynn Howland had just arrived from San Francisco, and Atta spoke with her before boarding; he also asked a gate agent about whether his checked bags had been loaded, but the bags were not loaded during the rushed Portland check-in. By 07:40 all five hijackers were on board, the plane received clearance to push back and taxi, and it began takeoff from Boston’s Logan International Airport at 07:59. The 9/11 Commission says the hijacking started around 08:14, when the pilots stopped responding to Boston Air Route Traffic Control. After brief responses earlier, they failed to follow instructions and the plane soon left its planned route. Controllers then tried repeatedly to contact the flight and heard an unusual scream-like sound over the radio around 08:18. By about 08:20 the hijackers were believed to be in full control, the transponder was turned off at 08:21, and later ACARS messages asked for immediate contact, but Flight 11 never responded.