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===Boarding===
===Boarding===
On the morning of [[September 11]], [[2001]], the five hijackers arrived at [[Dulles International Airport]], outside of [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name="911-ch1">{{cite book |url=http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm |author=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States |chapter=Chapter 1 |title=9-11 Commission Report |publisher=Government Printing Office |year=2004}}</ref> By 7:18 a.m., the five hijackers, carrying [[knives]] and [[box cutters]], had made it through the airport security checkpoint and boarded Flight 77 to Los Angeles. Before boarding, the hijackers were all [[Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System|CAPPS]] selectees, which required extra screening of their checked bags. [[Hani Hanjour]], [[Khalid al-Mihdhar]], and [[Majed Moqed]] were chosen by the CAPPS criteria, while [[Nawaf al-Hazmi]] and [[Salem al-Hazmi]] were selected because they did not provide adequate identification. They had their checked bags held until they boarded the aircraft.<ref name="staff3">{{cite web |url=http://www.9-11commission.gov/staff_statements/staff_statement_3.pdf |title=The Aviation Security System and the 9/11 Attacks - Staff Statement No. 3 |publisher=9/11 Commission}}</ref> The passenger security checkpoint at Dulles International Airport was operated by [[Argenbright Security]], under contract with [[United Airlines]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1001252,00.html |title=Why Argenbright Sets Off Alarms |publisher=TIME Magazine |date=November 19, 2001 |author=Orecklin, Michele, and Greg Land}}</ref>
On the morning of [[September 11]], [[2001]], the five hijackers arrived at [[Dulles International Airport]], outside of [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name="911-ch1">{{cite book |url=http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm |author=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States |chapter=Chapter 1 |title=9-11 Commission Report |publisher=Government Printing Office |year=2004}}</ref> By 7:18 a.m., the five hijackers, carrying [[knives]] and [[box cutters]], had made it through the airport security checkpoint and boarded Flight 77 to Los Angeles. Before boarding, the hijackers were all [[Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System|CAPPS]] selectees, which required extra screening of their checked bags. [[Hani Hanjour]], [[Khalid al-Mihdhar]], and [[Majed Moqed]] were chosen by the CAPPS criteria, while [[Nawaf al-Hazmi]] and [[Salem al-Hazmi]] were selected because they did not provide adequate identification. They had their checked bags held until they boarded the aircraft.<ref name="staff3">{{cite web |url=http://www.9-11commission.gov/staff_statements/staff_statement_3.pdf |title=The Aviation Security System and the 9/11 Attacks - Staff Statement No. 3 |publisher=9/11 Commission}}</ref> The passenger security checkpoint at Dulles International Airport was operated by [[Argenbright Security]], under contract with [[United Airlines]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1001252,00.html |title=Why Argenbright Sets Off Alarms |publisher=TIME Magazine |date=November 19, 2001 |author=Orecklin, Michele, and Greg Land}}</ref>

[[Image:Aa757.jpg|thumb|right|[[American Airlines]] [[Boeing 757]]]]
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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov/notablecases/moussaoui/exhibits/prosecution/flights/P200054.html |title=Summary of Flight 77 |publisher=U.S.D.C. Eastern District of Virginia |accessdate=2007-02-04}}</ref> The flight was scheduled to depart at 08:10 [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]], but actually departed ten minutes late from Gate D26 at Dulles.<ref>[http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/penttbom/aa77/77.htm 9/11 Investigation (PENTTBOM)], FBI, national Press Release, September 2001</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A38407-2001Sep15 |title=Portrait of a Day That Began in Routine and Ended in Ashes |publisher=The Washington Post |date=September 16, 2001 |author=Maraniss, David}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov/notablecases/moussaoui/exhibits/prosecution/flights/P200054.html |title=Summary of Flight 77 |publisher=U.S.D.C. Eastern District of Virginia |accessdate=2007-02-04}}</ref> The flight was scheduled to depart at 08:10 [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]], but actually departed ten minutes late from Gate D26 at Dulles.<ref>[http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/penttbom/aa77/77.htm 9/11 Investigation (PENTTBOM)], FBI, national Press Release, September 2001</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A38407-2001Sep15 |title=Portrait of a Day That Began in Routine and Ended in Ashes |publisher=The Washington Post |date=September 16, 2001 |author=Maraniss, David}}</ref>


===The hijacking===
===The hijacking===
[[Image:911 commission AA77 path.png|thumb|left|Flight path from [[Dulles International Airport|Dulles]] to the Pentagon (to east of Dulles)]]
[[Image:911 commission AA77 path.png|thumb|Flight path from [[Dulles International Airport|Dulles]] to the Pentagon (to east of Dulles)]]
The [[9/11 Commission]] estimated that the flight was hijacked between 08:51 EDT and 08:54 EDT, just minutes after [[American Airlines Flight 11|the first hijacked plane]] had struck the [[World Trade Center]] in [[Manhattan]] at 08:46 EDT. The last normal radio communications from the aircraft to [[air traffic control]] occurred at 08:50:51 EDT.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ntsb.gov/info/ATC_%20Report_AA77.pdf |title=ATC Report American Airlines Flight 77 |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)}}</ref> At 08:54 [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]], American Airlines Flight 77 began to deviate from its normal, assigned flight path and turned south.<ref name="911-ch1"/> The Boeing 757's [[autopilot]] destination was set for [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport]], located a short distance from the Pentagon.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ntsb.gov/info/autopilot_AA77_UA93_study.pdf |title=Study of Autopilot, Navigation Equipment, and Fuel Consumption Activity Based on United Airlines Flight 93 and American Airlines Flight 77 Digital Flight Data Recorder Information |author=O’Callaghan, John Daniel Bower |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |date=February 13, 2002}}</ref> The Indianapolis Air Traffic Control Center, as well as American Airlines dispatchers, made several failed attempts to contact the aircraft. 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.<ref name="911-ch1"/>
The [[9/11 Commission]] estimated that the flight was hijacked between 08:51 EDT and 08:54 EDT, just minutes after [[American Airlines Flight 11|the first hijacked plane]] had struck the [[World Trade Center]] in [[Manhattan]] at 08:46 EDT. The last normal radio communications from the aircraft to [[air traffic control]] occurred at 08:50:51 EDT.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ntsb.gov/info/ATC_%20Report_AA77.pdf |title=ATC Report American Airlines Flight 77 |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)}}</ref> At 08:54 [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]], American Airlines Flight 77 began to deviate from its normal, assigned flight path and turned south.<ref name="911-ch1"/> The Boeing 757's [[autopilot]] destination was set for [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport]], located a short distance from the Pentagon.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ntsb.gov/info/autopilot_AA77_UA93_study.pdf |title=Study of Autopilot, Navigation Equipment, and Fuel Consumption Activity Based on United Airlines Flight 93 and American Airlines Flight 77 Digital Flight Data Recorder Information |author=O’Callaghan, John Daniel Bower |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |date=February 13, 2002}}</ref> The Indianapolis Air Traffic Control Center, as well as American Airlines dispatchers, made several failed attempts to contact the aircraft. 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.<ref name="911-ch1"/>


Revision as of 23:54, 29 May 2008

American Airlines Flight 77
GIF animated security camera image showing American Airlines Flight 77 (highlighted) just before and after impact.
Occurrence
Date11 September 2001
SummaryHijacking
SiteThe Pentagon
Aircraft
Aircraft typeBoeing 757-223
OperatorAmerican Airlines
RegistrationN644AA[1]
Flight originWashington Dulles Int'l Airport
DestinationLos Angeles Int'l Airport
Passengers58 (including 5 hijackers)
Crew6
Fatalities189 (all 64 onboard Flight 77, 125 on ground)
Survivors0

American Airlines Flight 77 was a scheduled U.S. domestic flight from Washington Dulles International Airport, near Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles International Airport. It was hijacked by five individuals and deliberately crashed into the The Pentagon as part of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Less than thirty-five minutes into the flight, the hijackers stormed the cockpit 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. 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. 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 subsequently caused its collapse. It was the third airliner to be deliberately crashed that morning, after American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the World Trade Center.

Hijackers

Hani Hanjour, the hijacker pilot of Flight 77

The hijackers on American Airlines Flight 77 included Hani Hanjour, the man believed to have piloted the aircraft into The Pentagon.[2] Hanjour 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. Instead, it is possible he traveled to Al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan, where, as he was already trained as a pilot, he was selected to take part in the September 11, 2001 attacks.[5]

In December 2000, Hanjour arrived in San Diego, joining Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar who had been there since November 1999.[5][6] Soon after arriving, Hanjour and al-Hazmi left for Mesa, Arizona, where Hanjour began refresher training at Arizona Aviation.[5] By April 2001, they had relocated to Falls Church, Virginia, where they awaited the arrival of the "muscle" hijackers—those trained to storm the cockpit and control the passengers.[5] These men, Majed Moqed and Ahmed al-Ghamdi arrived together from Dubai at Dulles International Airport on May 2, 2001 and moved into an apartment with al-Hazmi and Hanjour.[7]

In February or March 2001, Hanjour and rented a room in Paterson, New Jersey.[8] Salem al-Hazmi and Abdulaziz al-Omari arrived on June 29, 2001 at John F. Kennedy International Airport from the United Arab Emirates and stayed with Hanjour.[7][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 at the Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Maryland.[11][12]

The flight

The American Airlines Flight 11 aircraft was a Boeing 757-223, (registration number N644AA).[13] The flight crew included pilot Charles Burlingame, First Officer David Charlebois, and flight attendants Michele Heidenberger, Jennifer Lewis, Kenneth Lewis, and Renee May.[14]

Boarding

On the morning of September 11, 2001, the five hijackers arrived at Dulles International Airport, outside of Washington, D.C.[15] By 7:18 a.m., the five hijackers, carrying knives and box cutters, had made it through the airport security checkpoint and boarded Flight 77 to Los Angeles. Before boarding, the hijackers were all CAPPS selectees, which required extra screening of their checked bags. Hani Hanjour, Khalid al-Mihdhar, and Majed Moqed were chosen by the CAPPS criteria, while Nawaf al-Hazmi and Salem al-Hazmi were selected because they did not provide adequate identification. They had their checked bags held until they boarded the aircraft.[16] The passenger security checkpoint at Dulles International Airport was operated by Argenbright Security, under contract with United Airlines.[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.[18] The flight was scheduled to depart at 08:10 EDT, but actually departed ten minutes late from Gate D26 at Dulles.[19][20]

The hijacking

Flight path from Dulles to the Pentagon (to east of Dulles)

The 9/11 Commission estimated that the flight was hijacked between 08:51 EDT and 08:54 EDT, just minutes after the first hijacked plane had struck the World Trade Center in Manhattan at 08:46 EDT. The last normal radio communications from the aircraft to air traffic control occurred at 08:50:51 EDT.[21] At 08:54 EDT, American Airlines Flight 77 began to deviate from its normal, assigned flight path and turned south.[15] The Boeing 757's autopilot destination was set for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, located a short distance from the Pentagon.[22] The Indianapolis Air Traffic Control Center, as well as American Airlines dispatchers, made several failed attempts to contact the aircraft. 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.[15]

Passenger Barbara Olson, who called her husband, Ted Olson, reported that the assailants had box cutters and knives.[23] By 08:56 EDT, 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.

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.[24][25] Reagan Airport controllers then asked a passing Air National Guard C-130H 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".[26] (Later in his flight, O'Brien saw the smoke from the crash of UAL 93 in western Pennsylvania.)

Phone calls

Two people on American Airlines Flight 77 made phone calls to contacts on the ground. At 09:12 EDT, flight attendant Renee May called her mother, Nancy May, in Las Vegas.[27] During the call, which lasted nearly two minutes,[27] May said her flight was being hijacked by six individuals and they had been moved to the rear of the plane.[15] May also asked her mother to contact American Airlines, which she and her husband promptly did.[15] American Airlines was already aware of the hijacking. Passenger Barbara K. Olson called her husband, United States Solicitor General Theodore Olson at the Department of Justice twice to tell him about the hijacking and to report that the passengers and pilots were held in the back of the plane. After the first call was cut off, Theodore Olson contacted the command center at the Department of Justice,[28] and tried unsuccessfully to contact Attorney General John Ashcroft. Olson called her husband back, and asked him "What should I tell the pilot?"[29]

Crash

Template:Sep11 Flight 77 crashed into the western side of the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, just south of Washington, D.C. at 09:37:44 EDT,[30] killing all of its 53 regular passengers, 5 hijackers, and 6 crew. As the aircraft hurtled towards the Pentagon at 530 miles per hour,[31] it clipped several street lampposts (one of which fell onto a taxi cab, injuring the driver, Lloyd England[32]) as it passed over Washington Boulevard, approximately 20 feet off the ground.[33] Its right wing hit a portable generator that provided backup power for the Pentagon and the left engine hit an external steam vault before it slammed into the Pentagon. As it crashed, the plane was rolled slightly to the left, with the right wing elevated.[34] 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.[35]

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 less than before renovations began in 1998.[36] The section of the Pentagon, which had recently been renovated at a cost of $250 million,[37] housed the Naval Command Center[38] 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. 125 people in the Pentagon died from the attack.

Witnesses

The Pentagon is bordered by Interstate 395 and Washington Boulevard, on the side where the impact occurred. Steve Riskus witnessed the plane crash into the Pentagon, as he was driving along Washington Boulevard and stopped to take photographs moments after the impact.[39] 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.[40] Jim Sutherland, also on I-395, witnessed the plane pass 50 feet overhead, heading in a straight line into the Pentagon.[41] Mary Ann Owens, of Gannett News Service, was stuck in traffic near the Pentagon when she saw the airplane pass 50 to 75 feet overhead and crash into the Pentagon.[42] Another witness, Daryl Donley, saw the crash as he was driving on Washington Boulevard. Among debris that was scattered as the plane crashed, he found a "scorched green oxygen tank marked 'Cabin air. Airline use'" on the road.[42] Mr. Donley also had a camera with him, and took some of the first photographs after the crash.[43] USA Today reporter Mike Walter, while driving on Washington Boulevard, also witnessed the crash.[44] He recounted to CNN, "...looked out my window. I saw this plane, the jet, American Airlines jet coming. And I thought, this doesn't add up. It's really low. And I saw it. It just went—I mean, it was like a cruise missile with wings, it went right there and slammed right into the Pentagon. Huge explosion."[28]

Lloyd England's taxicab hit by a lightpole as American Airlines Flight 77 passed low over Washington Boulevard and crashed into the Pentagon.

Terrance Kean, who lived in a nearby apartment building, heard the noise of loud jet engines, glanced out his window, and saw "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."[45] Terry Morin, who worked at the nearby Navy Annex, saw the airliner pass 100 feet overhead, moments before it crashed into the Pentagon.[46] Passengers aboard a Washington Metro train heading to Ronald Reagan National Airport also saw the crash and explosion, including Allen Cleveland who explained [he] "looked out the window to see a jet heading down toward the Pentagon."[29] AP reporter Dave Winslow recounted, "I saw the tail of a large airliner. ... It plowed right into the Pentagon."[47] Tim Timmerman, who is a pilot himself, noticed American Airlines markings on the aircraft as he saw it hit the Pentagon.[48] Commander Mike Dobbs, who worked at the Pentagon, was on an upper level of the outer ring, looking out the window when he saw the crash.[41] Other drivers on Washington Boulevard, Interstate 395, and Columbia Pike, as well as people in nearby locations such as Pentagon City, Crystal City also witnessed the crash.[40]

Security camera video

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"[49] and an explosion following.[50] The images were made public in response to a December 2004 Freedom of Information Act request by Judicial Watch.[51] 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.[52] Judicial Watch hoped that the Pentagon security video would dispel conspiracy theories,[53] though David Yancey, whose wife died on the flight, expressed concerns that the video did not show enough detail to "end the talk of a conspiracy".[54]

Wikinews has related news:

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.[55][56][57] 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 video 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."[58][59] No plane can be clearly seen entering the Pentagon since the camera was mounted on a lower point on the Doubletree Hotel and an elevated highway obstructs the view of the Pentagon.[60][61] However, a shape or group of shapes can be seen above the highway, moving from left to right and ending at the explosion point.[59]

Collapse

When the plane crashed, the right wing hit a generator outside of the Pentagon and the left engine hit a ground-level, external vent structure just outside of the building, before the plane crashed. The crash of Flight 77 caused extensive damage to the E, D, and C rings of the Pentagon, with damage and debris extending into the A and B ring. A piece of a landing gear, as well as the flight data recorder were found days later, nearly 300 ft into the building.[62] At 10:15 a.m., the upper floors of the damaged area of the Pentagon collapsed. This amount of time between impact and collapse allowed everyone on the fourth and fifth levels to evacuate safely before the structure collapsed.[63]

Rescue and recovery

Cockpit Voice Recorder from Flight 77

The United States Pentagon Police led the rescue and recovery efforts at the Pentagon, with involvement from the Arlington County Police Department and Fire, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Fort Myer, and others.[64] Other area jurisdictions, including the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue team, were able to assist the rescue and recovery efforts, working through the National Interagency Incident Management System (NIIMS).[65] The FBI's Washington Field Office, National Capital Response Squad (NCRS), and the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) led the crime scene investigation at the Pentagon.[64] The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were both recovered at the Pentagon; however, the cockpit voice recorder was so badly damaged and burned that nothing could be recovered from it.[66]

On 9/11, the National Military Command Center continued to operate at the Pentagon, even with smoke getting into the facility. Though, the Department of Defense also had contingencies that would allow them to move command operations to Site R.[67]

Notable victims

Non-hijacking passengers included:

  • Barbara Olson, American television commentator for CNN (b. 1955). Olson was en route to a taping of Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher.[68]
  • Three 11-year-old schoolchildren (Bernard Brown, Asia Cottom, and Rodney Dickens) embarking on an educational trip to the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary near Santa Barbara, California, as part of a program funded by the National Geographic Society. Their chaperones and National Geographic staff members Sarah Clark, 65, James Debeuneure, 58, Ann Judge, 45, Hilda Taylor and Joe Ferguson, were with the children.[29]
  • Wilson Flagg, an Admiral in the U.S. Navy.
  • William E. Caswell, a physicist specializing in quantum chromodynamics.
  • A family of four (father Charles Falkenberg, daughter Zoe Falkenberg, daughter Dana Falkenberg and mother Leslie Whittington) from College Park, Maryland
  • Craig Gear, radio host and producer for 98.1 CHFI in Toronto, Canada.

Memorial

Construction of the outdoor Pentagon Memorial in September 2007
Main article: Pentagon Memorial

A memorial is currently being constructed at the Pentagon in memory of those who lost their lives both at the Pentagon and aboard American Airlines Flight 77.[69][70]

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 most well-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.[71] Proponents say that the 75 foot hole is too small to account for an aircraft with a wingspan of 124 feet.[72] Conspiracy advocates also point to other minutiae such as small amount of debris or condition grass on the lawn.[72] 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.[73]

Notes

  • After the crash, the flight route designation for future flights on the same route was renumbered to Flight 149, which is now operated by a Boeing 737-800 instead of a Boeing 757-200.
  • Flight 77 was the only flight hijacked where a bomb threat was not made. The other three hijacked flights were each reported to have had one hijacker with a red box strapped around his torso, claiming it to be a bomb.[74]

References

  1. ^ "FAA Registry (N644AA)". Federal Aviation Administration.
  2. ^ Chen, David W. (2001-09-18). "A Nation Challenged: The Suspect; Man Traveled Across U.S. In His Quest to Be a Pilot". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
  3. ^ "Four Planes, Four Coordinated Teams". The Washington Post. 2001. Retrieved 2001-05-29.
  4. ^ Sennott, Charles M. (2002-03-03). "Why bin Laden plot relied on Saudi hijackers". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
  5. ^ a b c d e "The Attack Looms". 9/11 Commission Report. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. 2004. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
  6. ^ Goldstein, Amy (2001-09-30). "Hijackers Led Core Group". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
  7. ^ a b "Chronology". Monograph on 9/11 and Terrorist Travel (PDF). National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. p. 22. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
  8. ^ a b Kunkle, Fredrick (2001-10-01). "New Jersey Neighborhood Was Suspects' Inconspicuous Hub; Residents Recall Little of Visitors to Paterson Apartment". The Washington Post.
  9. ^ Martin, John P. (2001-09-27). "Landlord identifies terrorists as renters". The Star-Ledger.
  10. ^ Masters, Brooke A. (2001-09-19). "Dulles Hijackers Made Maryland Their Base; Residents Recall Men as Standoffish". The men who hijacked Flight 77 also made a concerted effort to stay in shape. All five visited the Gold's Gym on Greenbelt Road during the first week of September {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Olson, Bradley (September 9, 2006). "MD. Was Among Last Stops For Hijackers; Those Who Recall Encounters Are Haunted By Proximity To Agents Of Tragic Event". The Baltimore Sun.
  12. ^ "9/11 Commission Notes" (PDF). pp. Note 170.
  13. ^ "Flight Path Study - American Airlines Flight 77" (PDF). NTSB.
  14. ^ "American Airlines Flight 77". CNN. 2001. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
  15. ^ a b c d e National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (2004). "Chapter 1". 9-11 Commission Report. Government Printing Office.
  16. ^ "The Aviation Security System and the 9/11 Attacks - Staff Statement No. 3" (PDF). 9/11 Commission.
  17. ^ Orecklin, Michele, and Greg Land (November 19, 2001). "Why Argenbright Sets Off Alarms". TIME Magazine.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ "Summary of Flight 77". U.S.D.C. Eastern District of Virginia. Retrieved 2007-02-04.
  19. ^ 9/11 Investigation (PENTTBOM), FBI, national Press Release, September 2001
  20. ^ Maraniss, David (September 16, 2001). "Portrait of a Day That Began in Routine and Ended in Ashes". The Washington Post.
  21. ^ "ATC Report American Airlines Flight 77" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
  22. ^ O’Callaghan, John Daniel Bower (February 13, 2002). "Study of Autopilot, Navigation Equipment, and Fuel Consumption Activity Based on United Airlines Flight 93 and American Airlines Flight 77 Digital Flight Data Recorder Information" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board.
  23. ^ Johnson, Glen (November 23, 2001). "Probe reconstructs horror, calculated attacks on planes". Boston Globe.
  24. ^ ABC News (2001, October 24). "'Get These Planes on the Ground'". {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ Washington Post (2001, September 12). "On Flight 77: 'Our Plane Is Being Hijacked'". {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ Bob Von Sternberg, "'Hey, center, what's going on in New York? ...'", Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Sept. 11, 2002; 9/11 Commission Report, chapter 1, pp.25-26, 29-30 (HTML version); ibid., Notes, p.462, note 170 (HTML version).
  27. ^ a b "Exhibit #P200018, United States v. Zacarias Moussaoui". United States District Court, Eastern District of Virginia.
  28. ^ a b "CNN Breaking News 16:58, Transcript # 091174CN.V00". CNN. September 11, 2001.
  29. ^ a b c Fisher, Mark, Don Phillips (September 12, 2001). "On Flight 77: 'Our Plane Is Being Hijacked'". The Washington Post.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Cite error: The named reference "fisher" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  30. ^ "American Airlines Flight 77 FDR Report" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board.
  31. ^ Cite error: The named reference fps was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  32. ^ "Survivors' Fund Project Survivor Story".
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  37. ^ "Phoenix Rising: The Rebuilding of the Pentagon (Flash)". The Washington Post.
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  39. ^ Riskus, Steve. "Crash photographs". Archived from the original on October 26, 2004. Retrieved 2006-11-12.
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  74. ^ "The Four Flights - Staff Statement No. 4" (PDF). 9/11 Commission.

38°52′15″N 77°03′30″W / 38.87095°N 77.05827°W / 38.87095; -77.05827

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