United States stung by massive terrorist attack. Planes hijacked and crashed into landmarks. Thousands feared dead

Airline Industry Information, Sept 11, 2001

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2001 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

(Corrects/updates US airport/airmoves; information on crashed aircraft). Four commercial aircraft have crashed in a series of massive terrorist attacks against the United States of America. Thousands of people are feared to have been killed and many thousands more injured in the various incidents which have paralysed the country.

The country has been rocked by a series of attacks which began at 0845 EDT when a hi-jacked aircraft, thought to be American Airlines flight 11 flying between Boston and Los Angeles, crashed into one of the two towers at the World Trade Center in New York. Eighteen minutes later a second aircraft, thought to be United Airlines flight 175 flying between Boston and Los Angeles, crashed into the World Trade Center's second tower, hurling debris onto those who were being evacuated from the area at the time.

At 0943 EDT an aircraft thought to be American Airlines flight 77 flying between Washington Dulles Airport and Los Angeles, crashed into the Pentagon, the country's central military complex, in Washington, DC causing serious damage. Earlier reports that a helicopter also crashed into the Pentagon seemed to have been discounted.

At around 1010 EDT, United Airlines flight 93 aircraft crashed in Somerset County in Pennsylvania, about 80 miles southeast of the major city of Pittsburgh. The aircraft was flying between Newark (New York) and San Francisco. There were 38 passengers, five flight attendants and two pilots aboard the Boeing 757 aircraft.

American flight 11 was a Boeing 767 aircraft with 81 passengers, nine flight attendants and two pilots. American flight 77 was a Boeing 757 aircraft with 58 passengers, four flight attendants and two pilots. United flight 175 was a Boeing 767 aircraft with 56 passengers onboard, seven flight attendants and two pilots.

Reports that a further aircraft is en route to Washington, DC to an as-yet-unidentified target appear to have been downgraded. It is not clear yet whether the crash in Somerset County was actually en route to Washington DC or whether it was the 'missing' flight feared to be also heading to Washington DC.

US domestic airports have closed with new nonessential air movements cancelled due to the uncertain circumstances. There is a risk that unauthorised air movements which cannot be verified face being shot down by military aircraft if a sufficient threat is assessed.

Aircraft inbound to the USA are being diverted wherever and most flights have turned around en route to the United States and returned to their departure point. Reports, which are still unconfirmed, suggest that Canada is also closing its borders to inbound air traffic. Originally US-bound traffic was being diverted to Canadian airports.

As of 1230 EDT the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that there were 50 "known" aircraft flying in US-airspace and none had reported any problems or concerns. Previously there had been several being unaccounted for and there were fears that there could be further 'suicide crashes' in the next few hours.

United Airlines has cancelled all of its worldwide flight movements and other US carriers are expected to follow suit.

The closure of the United States and the diversion of inbound aircraft is causing major problems with both airline carriers and airport operators worldwide. Airports are being besieged by callers seeking information about future flights and flights involving family and friends. Ananova in the UK quotes a spokesman at Manchester Airport as saying: "We are trying to find out just where our in-flight America-bound travellers will be able to land."

Security at airports around the world are being increased as a precaution.

Up to 100,000 people could have been working in the World Trade Center at the time if fully-occupied, although some reports suggest that up to 20,000 people might have been in the building at the time. Over 10,000 emergency personnel are being rushed to the scene to render assistance. This is the second terrorist attack at the World Trade Center. In February 1993 six people died in a basement-level explosion but the building was relatively unscathed.

Fighter jets from the United States Air Force have been scrambled and they are patrolling the skies of Washington DC and a number of other cities.

A host of other terrorist incidents including a car bomb exploding outside the State Department in Washington are being reported.

So far the situation seems to be confined to the United States. The US government has reportedly ordered a closure of its borders to Mexico and Canada as an 'initial precaution'. There is nothing to suggest that the attacks are likely to spread around the world.

The US government's State Department has advised its embassies worldwide to make local assessments of their security and local conditions and that they could determine whether to stay open, or temporarily close down, their facilities. A number of embassies have decided to suspend 'nonessential' activities in light of the attacks.