9/11 25th Anniversary Community Recognition Events

Flight 77, flying at 530 miles per hour over the Navy Annex Building adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery, impacted the western side of the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, just south of Washington D.C., at 09:37:46 AM ET. The plane hit the Pentagon at the first-floor level, and at the moment of impact, the airplane was rolled slightly to the left, with the right wing elevated. The front part of the fuselage disintegrated on impact, while the mid and tail sections moved for another fraction of a second, with the tail section debris penetrating furthest into the building. In all, the airplane took eight-tenths of a second to fully penetrate 310 feet into the three outermost of the building’s five rings and unleashed a fireball that rose 200 feet above the building. 

At the time of the attacks, approximately eighteen thousand people worked in the Pentagon, four thousand fewer than before renovations began in 1998. The section of the Pentagon that was struck, which had recently been renovated at a cost of $250 million, housed the Naval Command Center.

In all, there were 189 deaths at the Pentagon site, including 125 in the Pentagon building in addition to the 64 on board the aircraft. Passenger Barbra Olson was en route to a recording of the TV show Politically Incorrect. A group of three 11-year-old children, their chaperones, and two National Geographic Society staff members were also on board, embarking on an educational trip west to the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary near Santa Barbra, California. 

The facilities at the Pentagon included 55 military personnel and 70 civilians. Of those 125 killed, 92 were on the first floor, 31 were on the second floor, and two were on the third. Seven Defense Intelligence Agency civilian employees were killed while the Office of the Secretary of Defense lost one contractor. The U.S. Army suffered 75 fatalities [1][3][4] – 53 civilians and 22 soldiers – while the U.S. Navy suffered 42 fatalities – nine civilians and 33 sailors. Lieutenant General Timothy Maude, an Army deputy chief of staff, was the highest-ranking military officer killed at the Pentagon; also killed was retired Rear Admiral Wilson Flagg, a passenger on the plane. Lieutenant Mari-Rae Sopper, JAGC, USNR, was also on board the flight, and was the first Navy Judge Advocate ever to be killed in action. Another 106 were injured on the ground level and were treated at the area hospitals. 

As the plane approached New York City, the aircraft was in a banking left turn in its final moments, as it appeared the plane might have otherwise missed the building or merely scraped it with a wing. Therefore, those who were on the left side of the plane would also have had a clear view of the towers approaching, with one burning. At 09:01 AM ET, two minutes before impact as Flight 175 continued its descent into Lower Manhattan, the New York Center alerted another nearby Air Traffic Facility responsible for low-flying aircraft, which was able to monitor the aircraft’s path over New Jersey, and then over Staten Island and Upper New York Bay in its final moments.

At 09:03 AM ET, Flight 175 crashed nose-first into the southern facade of the South Tower of the World Trade Center at over 500 miles per hour striking between floors 77 and 85 with approximately 9,100 U.S. gallons of jet fuel on board. The youngest person on Flight 175 was Christine Hanson, aged two and a half, and the oldest was 82-year-old Dorothy DeAraujo of Long Beach, California. 

By the time Flight 175 struck the South Tower, multiple media organizations were already covering the crash of Flight 11, which had hit the North Tower 17 minutes earlier. The image of flight 175’s crash was thus caught on video from multiple vantage points on live television and amateur video, while approximately a hundred cameras captured Flight 175 in photographs before it crashed. Video footage of the crash was replayed numerous times in news broadcasts on the day of the attacks and in the following days, before major news networks put restrictions on use of the footage. 

After the plane penetrated through the tower, parts of the plane’s landing gear and fuselage came out on the north side of the tower and crashed through the roof and two floors of 45-47 Park Place, between West Broadway and Church Street, 600 feet north of the former World Trade Center. Three floor beams of the top floor of the building were destroyed, causing major structural damage. 

Unlike at the North Tower, initially, one of the three stairwells was still intact after flight 175 crashed into the South Tower. This was because the plane struck the tower offset from the center and not centrally as Flight 11 in the North Tower had done. Only 18 people passed the impact zone through the available stairway and left the South Tower safely before it collapsed. Only one person on the 81st floor survived: Stanley Praimnath, whose office was sliced by the wing of the plane. He witnessed Flight 175 coming toward him. No one escaped above the impact point in the North Tower. 

Some people above the impact zone made their way upward toward the roof in hopes of a helicopter rescue. However, access doors to the roof were locked. In any case, thick smoke and intense heat prevented rescue helicopters from landing. 

The South Tower collapsed at 09:59:00 AM ET, after burning for 56 minutes. [1][2] 

At 08:46:40 AM ET the terrorist, Atta, intentionally crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the northern facade of the North Tower (Tower 1) of the World Trade Center. The aircraft, traveling about 404 knots carrying about 10,000 U.S. gallons of jet fuel, hit between floors 93 and 99 of the North Tower.

The damage caused to the North Tower destroyed any means of escape at the impact zone or above it. All stairwells and elevators from floor 92 to at least floor 99 up were rendered impassable, killing or trapping 1,344 people. The highest survivors in the North Tower came from the 91st floor. According to the Commission Report, hundreds were killed instantly on impact; the rest were trapped and died from the subsequent fire and smoke, the eventual collapse, or (in some cases) after jumping or falling from the building. Elevator shafts channeled burning jet fuel through the building, allowing some of it to explode in the Skylobby on floors 78, and in the main lobby at the base of the tower. 

At first, news organizations reported an explosion or incident at the World Trade Center. CNN broke into commercials at 08:49 AM ET with the headline “World Trade Center Disaster.” Carol Lin, who was the first anchor to break the news of the attack, said:

Yeah. This just in: you are looking at, obviously, a very disturbing live shot there. That is the World Trade Center, and we have unconfirmed reports this morning that a plane has crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. CNN Center right now is just beginning to work on this story, obviously calling our sources and trying to figure out what exactly happened, but clearly something relatively devastating happening this morning there on the south end of the island of Manhattan. That is once again, a picture of one of the towers of the World Trade Center.

— Carol Lin, CNN, 8:49 AM ET, September 11, 2001 [8]

After the crash, the North Tower burned for 102 minutes before collapsing at 10:28 AM ET. Although the impact itself caused extensive structural damage, the long-lasting fire ignited by jet fuel was blamed for the structural failure of the tower. In addition to the aircraft passengers and building occupants, hundreds of rescue workers also died when the tower collapsed. Cantor Fitzgerald L.P., an investment bank on floors 101-105 of the One World Trade Center, lost 658 employees, considerably more than any other employer. 

Later, in an on-air phone call from his office at the CNN New York bureau, CNN Vice President of Finance and Administration Sean Murtagh reported that a large passenger commercial jet had hit the World Trade Center. Eventually, other television networks interrupted regular broadcasting with news of the crash. As this was unfolding, President George W. Bush was arriving at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida. Initial news reports speculated that the crash may have been an accident until United Airlines Flight 175 was flown into the South Tower 17 minutes after Flight 11 had made impact. [1][2] 

United Airlines Flight 175 was a domestic passenger flight that was hijacked by five al-Qaeda terrorists on September 11, 2001, as a part of the September 11 attacks. The flight’s scheduled plan was from Logan International Airport, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Los Angeles International Airport, in Los Angeles, California. The Boeing 767-200 aircraft was deliberately crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing all 65 people aboard and an unknown number in the building’s impact zone.

Approximately twenty-eight minutes into the flight, the hijackers forcibly breached the cockpit and murdered Captain Victor Saracini of Yardley, Pennsylvania, and First Officer Michael Horrocks of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, allowing lead hijacker and trained pilot Marwan al-Shehhi to take over the controls. Unlike Flight 11, whose transponder was turned off, Flight 175’s transponder remained on New York Center’s radar, which depicted its deviation from the assigned flight path for four minutes before air traffic controllers took notice at 8:51 AM ET. Thereafter, they made several unsuccessful attempts to contact the cockpit. Several passengers and crew members aboard made phone calls to family members and relayed information regarding the hijackers and casualties suffered by passengers and crew.

The aircraft crashed into Tower Two (the South Tower) of the World Trade Center at 9:03 AM ET. The Flight 175 hijacking was coordinated with that of American Airlines flight 11, which struck the upper floors of Tower One (the North Tower) 17 minutes earlier. The crash of Flight 175 into the South Tower was the only impact televised live around the world. The crash and subsequent fire caused the South Tower to collapse 56 minutes later at 9:59 AM ET, resulting in hundreds of fire casualties. During the recovery effort at the World Trade Center site, workers uncovered and identified remains from some Flight 175 victims, but many victims have not been identified. [1][2] 

United Airlines Flight 93 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight that was hijacked by four al-Qaeda terrorists on board as part of the September 11 attacks. The plane eventually crashed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, following an attempt by the passengers and crew to regain control of the plane from the hijackers. All 44 people on board were killed, including the hijackers. The aircraft, a Boeing 757-222, was flying United Airlines’ daily scheduled morning flight from Newark International in New Jersey to San Francisco International Airport in California. 

The hijackers stormed the aircraft’s cockpit 46 minutes after takeoff. The captain and first officer struggled with the hijackers, which was transmitted to Air Traffic Control. Ziad Jarrah, who had trained as a pilot, took control of the aircraft and diverted it back toward the east coast, in the direction of Washington, D.C., the U.S. capital. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Ramzi bin al-Shibh, considered principal investigators of the attacks, have claimed that the intended target was the U.S. Capitol Building. 

While the hijackers were taking control of the plane, the pilots may have taken measures such as deactivating the autopilot to hinder the hijackers. Several passengers and flight attendants learned from phone calls that suicide attacks had already been made by hijacked airlines on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia. Rather than cede control of the plane, many of the passengers attempted to retake it from the hijackers. During the struggle, the plane crashed into a field near a reclaimed strip mine in Stonycreek Township, near Indian Lake and Shanksville, about 65 miles (105 km) southeast of Pittsburgh and 130 miles (210 km) northwest of Washington, D.C. A few people witnessed the impact from the ground, and news agencies began reporting the event within the hour. 

Of the four aircrafts hijacked on September 11 – the others were American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines Flight 175, and American Airlines Flight 77 – United Airlines Flight 93 was the only aircraft that did not reach its hijackers’ intended target. A temporary memorial was built near the crash site soon after the attacks. Construction of a permanent Flight 93 national Memorial was dedicated on September 10, 2011, and a concrete and glass visitor center (situated on a hill overlooking the site) was opened exactly four years later. [1]

American Airlines Flight 77 was a scheduled American Airlines domestic transcontinental passenger flight from Washington Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, to Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California. The Boeing 757-223 aircraft serving the flight was hijacked by five Saudi men affiliated with al-Qaeda on the morning of September 11, 2001, as part of the September 11 attacks. They deliberately crashed the plane into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, near Washington, D.C., killing all 64 aboard (including six crew and themselves) and another 125 in the building. 

Less than 35 minutes into the flight, the hijackers stormed the cockpit and forced the passengers, crew, and pilots to the rear of the aircraft. Hani Hanjour, one of the hijackers who was trained as a pilot, assumed control of the flight. Unknown to the hijackers, passengers aboard made telephone calls to friends and family and relayed information on the hijacking. 

The hijackers crashed the aircraft into the western side of the Pentagon at 9:37 AM ET. Many people witnessed the crash, and news sources began reporting on the incident within minutes. The impact severely damaged an area of the Pentagon and caused a large fire that took several days to extinguish. A portion of the building collapsed roughly 30 minutes after impact. 

The damaged sections of the Pentagon were rebuilt in 2002, with occupants moving back into completed areas that August. The two-acre park contains 184 benches, one for each victim, arranged according to age, ranging from 3 to 71 years old. [1][3][4]

American Airlines Flight 11 was a domestic passenger flight that was hijacked by five al-Qaeda terrorists on September 11, 2001, as part of the September 11 attacks. Lead hijacker Mohamed Atta deliberately crashed the plane into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing all 92 people aboard and ensuring the deaths of 1,402 people at and above the aircraft’s impact zone. The aircraft involved, Boeing 767-223ER, registration N334AA, was flying American Airlines’ daily scheduled morning transcontinental service from Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts to Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California. 

Fifteen minutes into the flight, the hijackers injured at least three people (possibly killing one), forcibly breached the cockpit, and overpowered the capitan and first officer. Atta, an al-Qaeda member and licensed commercial pilot, took over the controls. Air traffic controllers suspected that the flight was in distress because the crew was no longer responding. They realized the flight had been hijacked when Mohamed Atta’s announcements to the passengers were unintentionally transmitted to air traffic control. On board, flight attendants Amy Sweeney and Betty Ong contacted American Airlines, and provided information about the hijackers and injuries to passengers and crew. 

The aircraft crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 08:46:40 AM ET. Countless people in the streets of New York City witnessed the strike, but few video recordings captured the moment. Documentary filmmaker Jules Naudet captured the only known footage of the initial impact from start to finish. Before hijacking was confirmed, news agencies began to report on the incident and speculated that the crash had been an accident; about 17 minutes later, United Airlines Flight 175 was flown into the South Tower of the World Trade Center by hijackers. 

The impact and subsequent fire caused the North Tower to collapse 102 minutes after the crash, resulting in hundreds of additional casualties. During the recovery effort at the World Trade Center site, workers received and identified dozens of remains from Flight 11 victims, but many body fragments could not be identified. [1][2] 

There were 75 firehouses in which at least one member was killed. The FDNY also lost its department chief, first deputy commissioner, one of its marshals, one of its chaplains, as well as other administrative or specialty personnel. 

Operationally and geographically, the department is nominally organized into five borough commands for the five traditional boroughs of New York. Within those borough commands exist nine divisions, each headed by a deputy chief. Within each division operate four to seven battalions, led by a battalion chief and typically consisting of 180-200 firefighters and officers. Each battalion consists of four to eight companies, with a company being led by a captain. He commands three lieutenants and 16-42 firefighters. Last is the unit consisting of the members of the company on call during a given tour, consisting of a lieutenant or captain plus a number of firefighters depending on the type of unit: three to four on an engine company, five on a ladder company (also known as truck company), five for a rescue company, five for a squad company, four in a marine company, and six for a hazardous materials company.

On September 11, 2001, the Battalion Chief Joseph Pfeifer of Battalion 1 witnessed American Airlines Flight 11 crash into the North Tower of the World Trade Center and immediately radioed a multiple alarm incident. Over the course of the next three hours, 121 engine companies, 62 ladder companies, and 27 fire officers were deployed to the scene. All off-duty firefighters were recalled – the first time the FDNY had issued a total recall in over 30 years. In addition to the regular fire apparatus and personnel assigned to the incident, the FDNY also deployed its only Haz-Mat unit, its mobile command center, its field communications unit, all its five rescue units, both of its high-rise units, six of its seven squad units, and one of its two tactical support units. 

Of the 2,977 victims killed in the September 11 attacks, 415 were emergency workers in New York City who responded to the World Trade Center. This included: [1][7]

343 firefighters (including a chaplain and two paramedics) of New York City Fire Department (FDNY).

8 emergency medical technicians and paramedics from private emergency services. [1][5][7] 

Several New York Police Department (NYPD) officers saw Flight 11’s impact with the North Tower and immediately reported it to dispatchers. Ten minutes after Flight 11’s impact seven minutes before Flight 175’s impact, the NYPD Chief of Department, Joseph Esposito, was en route to the scene and raised the police mobilization to level 4, thereby sending around 22 lieutenants, 100 sergeants, and 800 police officers to the World Trade Center. NYPD personnel were primarily responsible for assisting in evacuations and helping injured citizens. 

Three police helicopters were also deployed to report on conditions and assess the feasibility of a rooftop landing or of special rescue operations. Once flight 175 had struck the South Tower, another level 4 mobilization was ordered, bringing NYPD presence to nearly 2,000 personnel at the scene. Some were ordered to enter the World Trade Center to assist with the FDNY’s evacuations. 

Of the 2,977 victims killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks, 415 were emergency workers in New York City who responded to the World Trade Center. This included: [1][7]

37 police officers of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Departments (PAPD).

23 police officers of the New York City Police Department (NYPD). [1][6][7]

[1] National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, The 9/11 Commission Report (2004), https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdf

[2] National Institute of Standards and Technology, Final Report on the Collapse of the World Trade Center Towers (NIST NCSTAR 1), September 2005, https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/NCSTAR/ncstar1.pdf

[3] Arlington County, Virginia, After-Action Report on the Response to the September 11 Terrorist Attack on the Pentagon (prepared by Titan Systems Corp. for Arlington County, 2002), https://www.policinginstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/pentagonafteractionreport.pdf

[4] American Society of Civil Engineers / Structural Engineering Institute, The Pentagon Building Performance Report (January 2003) — available through ASCE Library, https://ascelibrary.org/doi/book/10.1061/9780784406380

[5] McKinsey & Company (commissioned by the FDNY), Increasing FDNY’s Preparedness (August 2002), https://www.nyc.gov/assets/fdny/downloads/pdf/about/mckinsey_report.pdf

[6] McKinsey & Company (commissioned by the NYPD), Improving NYPD Emergency Preparedness and Response (August 19, 2002), https://tools.niehs.nih.gov/wetp/Docs/WTC/Aug_26_NYPD_McKinsey_Report.pdf

[7] National September 11 Memorial & Museum, “9/11 FAQs,” https://www.911memorial.org/911-faqs

[8] CNN, live television broadcast, September 11, 2001, 8:48–9:29 a.m. ET, preserved in the Internet Archive TV News Archive, “Understanding 9/11” collection, https://archive.org/details/cnn200109110848-0929