The pic on the right was the original cover for CRASH. The one on the left is the cover that the book was released with. The book tells the stories behind the 50 worst air crashes in aviation history. The worst air crash in history in terms of death toll were the terrorist attacks in New York City on 9/11. That is the chapter that opens the book and we have it for you here. See below. Some of the pictures in the book have been left out for clarity.
.) 9/11: A Day That Changed the World
American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines Flight 175, American Airlines Flight 77 and United Airlines Flight 93. New York City, Arlington County, Virginia and Indian Lake, Pennsylvania USA 2001. Death toll 2,996:
American Airlines Flight 11 was to be a flight from Boston to Los Angeles. The plane was a Boeing 767 and carried 76 passengers and an 11 member crew. On September 11, 2001 the flight also carried five terrorists. At 7:59am the flight took off from Logan International Airport in Boston. At 8:14 am the terrorists stabbed two flight attendants, entered the cockpit and took over the plane. It was also at this time that the hijackers ignored requests from air traffic controllers to climb to 35,000 feet. At 8:19am flight attendant Betty Ong reached American Airlines via airphone. Betty informed the airline of the two stabbings and the hijacking in progress. Seven minutes later Flight 11 deviated from its flight path and headed straight for New York City. At 8:44am flight attendant Amy Sweeney was also able to reach American Airlines by phone. These are her words: “Something is wrong. We are in a rapid descent. We are all over the place.” When asked what she sees out the window, Amy replied: “I see the water. I see buildings. I see the buildings. We are flying low. We are flying very, very low. We are flying way too low. Oh my God we are way too low.” The call was ended. It was at 8:46am that Flight 11 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. The aircraft hit the tower between floors 93 and 99.
United Airlines Flight 175 was also a Boeing 767 and was also a Boston to Los Angeles flight. The plane carried 51 passengers and 9 crew members. As with Flight 11, there were five terrorists on board. The plane took off at 8:14 am at almost exactly the same time that Flight 11 was being taken over by the terrorists. At some point between 8:42am and 8:46am the terrorists entered the cockpit and killed both pilots. At 8:51 the flight changed altitude. Air traffic controllers made repeated attempts to contact the aircraft. Those attempts went unanswered. Flight 175 then altered its course and narrowly missed several mid-air collisions. At 8:52 am flight attendant Robert Fangman reached a United Airlines office in San Francisco and reported the hijacking. A number of passengers placed calls to their loved ones. Peter Hanson was able to reach his father. These are his words: “It’s getting bad Dad. A stewardess was stabbed. They seem to have knives and Mace. They said they have a bomb. It’s getting very bad on the plane. The plane is making jerky movements. I don’t think the pilot is flying the plane. I think we are going down. I think they intend on going to Chicago or someplace and fly into a building. Don’t worry Dad. If it happens it will be very fast…oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.” The call cut out with a woman screaming. Flight 175 hit the south tower of the World Trade Center at 9:03am. It hit the tower between floors 77 and 85. After the crash and explosion the south tower burned for 56 minutes. It was the first to collapse at 9:59am. The north tower (the first to be hit) burned for an hour and 42 minutes before collapsing at 10:28am.
American Airlines Flight 77 was scheduled to fly from Washington’s Dulles International Airport to Los Angeles. The Boeing 757 carried 53 passengers and six crew members. There were also five terrorists on board. The plane took off at 8:20am. The flight was hijacked at approximately 8:52am. By this time Flight 11 was mere minutes away from striking the south tower of the World Trade Center. Within several minutes after taking over the plane, the hijackers had turned Flight 77 around. It would not be heading to California. The new destination was the Pentagon. Several calls were made from the aircraft. US Solicitor General Theodore Olson received a call from his wife who told her husband that the hijackers were armed with knives and box cutters. Olson told his wife about the attacks on the World Trade Center and then the line went dead. When Flight 77 was five miles southwest of the Pentagon it made a 330 degree turn. It immediately began descending and slammed into the western side of the Pentagon at 9:37am.
Flight 93 was a Boeing 757 that was scheduled to fly from Newark to San Francisco. There were 33 passengers and a crew of seven. On 9/11 there were also four terrorists on board. The plane was scheduled to depart at 8am but was delayed due to heavy airport traffic. It departed at 8:42am – four minutes before Flight 11 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. The hijackers began taking over the plane at 9:28am. The captain shouted “Mayday!” three times. An air traffic controller answered, “Somebody calling Cleveland?” There was no reply from Flight 93.
Passengers were able to make calls via the airphones. A few were able to use their mobile cell phones. Tom Burnett got through to his wife who informed him of the attacks on the World Trade Center. Burnett and other passengers began to realize that the terrorists on board were on a suicide mission. He ended the call with his wife with the words: “Don’t worry, we’re going to do something.” Flight attendant CeeCee Lyles left her husband a voicemail informing him that the plane was being hijacked. Flight attendant Sandra Bradshaw reached her husband and told him that she was boiling water to throw at the hijackers. The passengers took a vote on whether or not to act against the hijackers. They took action beginning at 9:57am. Some of the passengers used a food cart as a battering ram in an attempt to force their way into the cockpit. When the hijackers realized that the passengers were about to gain entry to the cockpit they decided to crash the plane. It is possible that the passengers were able to get into the cockpit at the last minute and killed at least one of the terrorists. The plane crashed into a field near Indian Lake, Pennsylvania. No one knows for sure what the intended target of Flight 93 was. It is known that Osama bin Laden had wanted to destroy the White House. Whatever the target, it is a fact that the passengers of Flight 93 saved many lives by fighting back.
Depending on which list you go by, the death toll varies. This list is probably pretty close to being an accurate total of the number of deaths resulting from the attacks.
2,606 killed in the World Trade Center
246 in the aircraft (passengers and crew)
125 killed in the Pentagon
19 terrorists killed in the aircraft
The total is 2,996 dead as a direct result of the attacks. Many more have died from the exposure to the toxic dust around the World Trade Center after the attacks and during the search and rescue operations. Whatever the final death toll may be, 9/11 certainly ranks as the worst aviation disaster of all time.