Tuesday, September 11, 2007

The End of Ignorance, Part 2 of 10



In Manhattan, office workers crush out of subways and make their way to work, perhaps grabbing a bagel or pretzel from one of the ubiquitous street vendors. Another flight from Boston to LA, United 175, takes off from Logan airport at 8:14, maybe they're going to Disneyland. Perhaps they are going to visit their grandparents, or to close a big record deal. Aboard American Airlines flight 11 comes the first sign for the outside world that everything is about to change. Flight attendant Betty Ong calls American Airlines on an air-phone and reports stabbings, the smell of mace, and the possible high-jacking of the flight. At 8:20, from Washington Dulles airport, American Airlines Flight 77 soars into the crystal blue sky, also bound for LA. The last plane, United 93, takes off from Newark International Airport en route to San Francisco at 8:42. Thousands of office workers make their way to the World Trade Center complex, many flooding into the two iconic towers. The last report from American Airlines Flight 11 is from flight attendant Amy Sweeney to American Airlines Flight Services Office. The call ends with "We are flying low. We are flying very, very low. We are flying way too low...Oh my God." Static.

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