It’s been over two decades, but the specific details of the planes that crashed in 9 11 still carry a weight that's hard to describe. You might remember exactly where you were when the news broke. Or maybe you're part of a younger generation looking at the grainy footage and trying to piece together how four commercial airliners became the center of a global shift. Most people know "planes hit the towers," but the granular reality of those specific flights—the crew, the timing, the sheer logistics of the hijacking—is often blurred by the passage of time.
These weren't just "planes." They were American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines Flight 175, American Airlines Flight 77, and United Airlines Flight 93.
Honestly, the precision of the hijackers' timing is still chilling to look at on paper. Within a span of less than two hours, the entire landscape of global security changed forever. It wasn't just a tragedy; it was a massive failure of systems that everyone assumed were foolproof.
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The First Strike: American Airlines Flight 11
Flight 11 was a Boeing 767. It was supposed to be a routine cross-country trip from Boston’s Logan International Airport to Los Angeles. It took off at 7:59 a.m. with 81 passengers and 11 crew members. About fifteen minutes into the flight, the hijackers made their move. They didn't just take the cockpit; they used pepper spray and knives to keep the cabin at bay.
Betty Ong and Madeline Sweeney. Those are names you should know. They were flight attendants who managed to place calls to American Airlines' ground crew. They provided the first real-time intelligence of what was happening. Betty stayed on the line for over 25 minutes, calmly relaying seat numbers of the hijackers and describing the chaos.
At 8:46 a.m., Flight 11 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. It hit between the 93rd and 99th floors. Because it was a transcontinental flight, it was carrying roughly 10,000 gallons of jet fuel. That's essentially a flying incendiary device. The impact killed everyone on board instantly and trapped hundreds above the impact zone. For a few minutes, the world thought it was a freak accident. A small plane, maybe? A pilot error? We didn't know yet.
United Airlines Flight 175: The Second Hit
While the North Tower was burning, United 175 was already off course. Another Boeing 767, also flying from Boston to LA. This one had 56 passengers and 9 crew members. It took off at 8:14 a.m.
The transition from "accident" to "attack" happened at 9:03 a.m.
That’s when Flight 175 slammed into the South Tower. This impact was different. It was faster—about 590 mph—and it hit at an angle between the 77th and 85th floors. Because it hit lower and off-center, it actually left one stairwell (Stairwell A) partially intact for a short window of time. But the fireball was massive. People watching the news live saw it happen in real-time. That’s the moment the collective "we" realized this was intentional.
The Attack on the Pentagon: American Airlines Flight 77
Away from the spectacle of New York City, American Airlines Flight 77 was heading toward the nation's capital. This was a Boeing 757, leaving Dulles International Airport for Los Angeles. It had 58 passengers and 6 crew members.
The hijackers turned off the transponder. The plane essentially "vanished" from secondary radar for a period. It circled back over Ohio and West Virginia before screaming toward Arlington, Virginia. At 9:37 a.m., it hit the western side of the Pentagon.
It's worth noting that the section of the Pentagon it hit had recently been renovated and reinforced. While the destruction was immense and 125 people in the building died, many experts believe the death toll would have been significantly higher had the plane hit a different, less-sturdy section.
The Resistance: United Airlines Flight 93
Then there’s Flight 93. This is the one that people talk about when they talk about heroism. A Boeing 757 flying from Newark to San Francisco. It was delayed on the tarmac for about 40 minutes, which turned out to be a pivot point in history. Because of that delay, the passengers were able to make phone calls and learn that other planes had been used as weapons.
They knew they weren't part of a "traditional" hijacking where you land and negotiate.
Todd Beamer. "Let's roll."
The passengers and crew—including flight attendants CeeCee Lyles and Sandra Bradshaw—fought back. They used a food cart as a battering ram to try and get into the cockpit. The hijackers, realizing they wouldn't reach their target (likely the U.S. Capitol or the White House), decided to crash the plane in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania at 10:03 a.m. Everyone on board died, but the target was saved.
The Logistics of the Planes That Crashed in 9 11
When we look at the planes that crashed in 9 11, the choice of aircraft was tactical. The hijackers chose Boeing 757s and 767s specifically because they were large and fueled for long-haul flights. The more fuel, the more heat. The more heat, the more structural damage to the steel frames of the buildings.
It's a grim calculation.
You also have to consider the airspace. By 9:45 a.m., the FAA did something unprecedented: they ordered the "SCATANA" plan. Security Control of Air Traffic and Air Navigation Aids. They grounded every single aircraft in U.S. airspace. If you were in the air, you had to land at the nearest airport immediately. Over 4,000 planes were forced down. It was the first time in history the American sky was completely silent.
Misconceptions and Clear Realities
There are a lot of "theories" floating around the internet. Let's stick to what we actually know from the 9/11 Commission Report and flight data recorders.
Some people ask why the military didn't shoot them down. The reality is that the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) was operating on a Cold War-era mindset. They were looking outward for bombers coming over the North Pole, not commercial jets already inside the domestic system with their transponders turned off. By the time the scrambled F-15s were in the air, the first two planes had already hit.
Another point of confusion is the "black boxes."
- Flight 77 (Pentagon): The Flight Data Recorder (FDR) was found and mostly readable, but the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) was too damaged.
- Flight 93 (Pennsylvania): Both were found and provided the chilling audio of the passenger struggle.
- Flights 11 and 175 (WTC): Neither the FDRs nor the CVRs were ever recovered from the rubble of the Twin Towers. The heat and the sheer mass of the collapse likely destroyed them or buried them beyond reach.
Modern Safety: The Legacy of These Flights
If you've flown recently, you know the routine. You take off your shoes. You can't bring a bottle of water. You see the reinforced cockpit doors. All of this exists because of the planes that crashed in 9 11.
Before that day, cockpit doors were flimsy. Flight crews were trained to cooperate with hijackers, fly to a destination, and let negotiators handle it. That "Common Strategy" died that morning. Now, the cockpit is a fortress. Air marshals fly undercover. Passengers are much more likely to intervene.
Practical Steps for Understanding the History
If you want to go deeper into the history of these specific flights without falling into the trap of misinformation, there are specific resources that are considered the "gold standard" of factual reporting.
- Read the 9/11 Commission Report: It’s long, but it’s surprisingly readable. It breaks down the minute-by-minute movements of each flight and identifies exactly where the communication breakdowns happened.
- Visit the National September 11 Memorial & Museum website: They have a digital archive that includes photos of artifacts recovered from the crash sites, including the landing gear from Flight 175 that was found on a roof blocks away from the towers.
- Check the NTSB Records: The National Transportation Safety Board maintains the official technical records for the aircraft involved. This is where you find the structural data and the "how" of the mechanical aspects.
- Listen to the ATC Tapes: Much of the Air Traffic Control audio is public. Hearing the confusion in the voices of the controllers in Boston and New York as they realize they have multiple "NORDO" (no radio) aircraft is more sobering than any documentary.
The story of the planes that crashed in 9 11 isn't just a story of aviation or terrorism. It's a story of how 19 people exploited the vulnerabilities of a free society and how that society had to fundamentally rebuild its concept of safety from the ground up. Knowing the names of the flights and the people on them—not just the hijackers, but the crew who fought to get information out—is the best way to keep the history accurate.