9/11/01

8:46:26 a.m. American Airlines Flight 11 had hit the north side of the North Tower of the World Trade Center between the 94th and 98th floors. AA Flight 11 was flying at a speed of 490 miles per hour.

Simulated photo showing how the plane impacted the North Tower.

Meanwhile, as the world watched in stunned horror, a second plane appeared …

9:02:54 a.m. United Airlines Flight 175 impacted the south side of the South Tower of the WTC between the 78th and 84th floors at a speed of over 500 MPH.

This was no accident … it was certainly a terrorist attack.

We watched the same footage over & over … perhaps hoping it would turn out differently the next time.

But it was always the same. We were stunned every time.

"Terrorism against our nation will not stand." 9:30 a m.: Bush, speaking to the nation from Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, FL, said the country has suffered an "apparent terrorist attack" and "a national tragedy." "Terrorism against our nation will not stand."

As the President spoke, another attack, another tragedy … this time a plane crash-attacked our nation’s capital.

9:37 a.m American Airlines Flight 77 impacted the western side of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

Picture taken mere seconds after the plane hit the Pentagon.

ONE MINUTE after the Pentagon attack, another plane completed a reversal of its flight pattern. At 9:38 a.m., United Airlines Flight 93 was heading for Washington, D.C.

When the FAA lost contact with Flight 93, an historic decision was made to ground all airplanes in U.S. airspace. There were 4,546 birds in the air at the time.

The FAA's acting deputy administrator tried to change the order, telling the U.S. Transportation Secretary, “We're bringing them down per pilot discretion." “%#!* pilot discretion!" the Secretary responded. "Get those $%^&*#! planes down!"

No one knew Flight 93’s destination but everyone was sure it was under the control of hijackers. Many assumed the White House was the terrorists’ next target. Plans were discussed to shoot the plane down before it reached the capital. They didn’t count on the courage of the Americans on Flight 93. These brave souls sacrificed themselves.

Passengers and crew on Flight 93 were aware of what had just happened in New York. They became determined that their plane would not be an instrument of destruction. A few of the Flight 93 heroes. From left to right: Jeremy Glick, Mark Bingham, Todd Beamer, and Tom Burnett.

9:45 a.m. to 9:58 a.m.: United Flight 93 passenger Todd Beamer tried to call his family but got patched to a Verizon supervisor. He said that the pilot and copilot appeared to be dead, two hijackers were in the cockpit, one was guarding first class; another was guarding 27 passengers at the rear of the plane. He said that they had voted to storm the hijackers. The supervisor heard before he hung up: "Are you guys ready? Let's roll."

9:58 a.m. Confrontation with the hijackers and the passengers began aboard United Airlines Flight 93. 10:06 a.m. Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, PA, far from densely populated cities. Who knows how many lives were saved?

FLIGHT 93: The Flight That Fought Back

Meanwhile, back in New York … 9:59:04 a.m. The south tower of the World Trade Center suddenly collapsed, plummeting into the streets below. A massive cloud of dust and debris quickly filled lower Manhattan.

Tragically, many fell or leaped to their deaths … It is estimated that 50 people plummeted to the street.

It fell in only four seconds. At 10:28 a.m., the North Tower collapsed. It fell in only four seconds.

Of all the people still in the towers when they collapsed only 20 of these people were pulled out alive.

The Death Toll Excluding the 19 hijackers, 2,974 people died in the attacks. Another 24 were missing and presumed dead.

Among the dead: 343 New York City Firemen 84 Port Authority Employees 23 New York City Police

For the following 8½ months, the cleanup and recovery continued 24 hours a day and involved thousands of workers. The massive pile of debris smoked and smoldered for 99 days.

A new study has determined that inhalation of the World Trade Center dust by survivors and rescue workers led to additional 9/11 deaths. The tragedy continues both in our hospitals – and on the battlefield. On December 26, 2006, the official U.S. death toll of the subsequent War on Terror surpassed the total lives lost on 9/11.