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The Rest Is Classified
The Rest Is Classified

191. 9/11: The Twin Towers Fall (Ep 5)

September 06, 2026 • 48m

Summary

⏱️ 9 min read

Overview

This episode provides a minute-by-minute account of September 11, 2001, following the four hijacking teams as they execute their attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and the heroic passenger resistance on United Flight 93. The episode traces the chaos, confusion, and tragedy of the day from early morning airport departures through the collapse of both towers, examining individual stories of victims, survivors, and first responders, while also exploring the government's response and the engineering reasons behind the towers' collapse.

The Hijackers Prepare and First Planes Take Off

On the morning of September 11th, the hijacking teams awoke early and made their way to airports in Boston, Newark, and Washington. Muhammad Atta had bizarrely traveled to Portland, Maine the night before and cut things dangerously close, clearing security just seven minutes before his commuter flight to Boston. Across three airports, the hijackers passed through security checkpoints without incident, and by 8 a.m., all four planes were loading with ordinary business travelers, families, and honeymooning couples who had no idea what was about to unfold.

  • Atta left his Portland hotel at 5:30 AM and cleared security just seven minutes before his flight, nearly missing it
  • The hijackers passed through security at three airports without anything suspicious being found
  • By 8 AM, four planes were loading: American 11 and United 175 from Boston, American 77 from Dulles, and United 93 from Newark

The First Attack: American Flight 11 Hits the North Tower

American Flight 11 took off from Boston at 7:59 AM, and for 14 minutes everything seemed normal until the hijacking began just before 8:14. The takeover was swift and brutal, with hijackers stabbing flight attendants and passengers, spraying pepper spray, and claiming they had a bomb. Flight attendants Betty Ong and Madeline Amy Sweeney made heroic phone calls describing the horror unfolding aboard. At 8:46 and 40 seconds, the plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 440 miles per hour, killing everyone aboard and hundreds in the building instantly.

  • American 11 made its last routine acknowledgement to air traffic control at 8:14 AM before the hijacking began
  • The Shehri brothers and other hijackers stabbed flight attendants and an Israeli special forces officer passenger, then used pepper spray to drive people to the rear
  • Flight attendant Betty Ong stayed on the phone for 25 minutes giving stark reports about the hijacking
  • Air traffic controllers heard a transmission at 8:24 where the hijacker said 'we have some planes'
  • American 11 struck the North Tower at 8:46:40 carrying 10,000 gallons of jet fuel that ignited into fireballs 200 feet across
" We have some planes. "

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