Sept. 11 Flight Attendant Calm in Call

[lucky wilbury]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...nt_2&printer=1

Sept. 11 Flight Attendant Calm in Call
1 hour, 36 minutes ago Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo!


By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Shortly before Flight 11 slammed into the World Trade Center, the American Airlines operations center received a calm phone call from one of its flight attendants.

"The cockpit is not answering their phone," said Betty Ong. "There's somebody stabbed in business class and, we can't breathe in business. Um, I think there is some Mace or something. We can't breathe. I don't know, but I think we're getting hijacked."

Ong, 45, known as "Bee," was on the American Airlines Boeing 767 flying from Boston to Los Angeles on Sept. 11, 2001, before suspected 9-11 ringleader Mohammed Atta and four others took over the plane and crashed it into the North Tower of the Trade Center.

The Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States heard portions of her 23-minute conversation with the American Airlines operations center on the second of its two-day hearing Tuesday.

Nydia Gonzalez, who was on duty at the operations center that morning, told the panel how she received Ong's call at about 8:20 a.m.

"Several media accounts of what occurred on Flight 11 claimed that Betty was 'hysterical with fear,' 'shrieking' and 'gasping for air,' she said. "Those accounts were wrong."

"In a very calm, professional and poised demeanor, Betty Ong relayed to us detailed information of the events unfolding on Flight 11," Gonzalez added. "I honestly believe after my conversation with Betty that the 81 passengers and new crew members on Flight 11 had no idea of the fate they were to encounter that day."

In the tape played before the commission, Ong tells the operations center her flight and seat number and describes the scene on board.

"We can't even get into the cockpit. We don't know who's there," Ong says, before the call ends in a dial tone.


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On the Net:


National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States:


http://www.9-11commission.gov

[lucky wilbury]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGA1LTYSYPD.html

Flight Attendant on Sept. 11 Plane Calm in Tape of Conversation With Ground Crew

By Hope Yen Associated Press Writer
Published: Jan 27, 2004


WASHINGTON (AP) - The calm voice calling from American Airlines Flight 11 belied the mayhem unfolding on the jetliner: a hijacking was under way, three people were stabbed, the cockpit was silent.

"The cockpit is not answering their phone," flight attendant Betty Ong told the American Airlines operations center shortly before the plane slammed into the World Trade Center. "There's somebody stabbed in business class, and we can't breathe in business. Um, I think there is some Mace or something. We can't breathe.

"I don't know, but I think we're getting hijacked."

Ong, 45, known as "Bee," of Andover, Mass., was working tourist class on the American Airlines Boeing 767 flying from Boston to Los Angeles on Sept. 11, 2001, before suspected 9-11 ringleader Mohammed Atta and four others took over the plane and crashed it into the North Tower of the Trade Center.

Nydia Gonzalez, on duty at the operations center that morning, told the panel how she received Ong's call at about 8:20 a.m.

"Several media accounts of what occurred on Flight 11 claimed that Betty was 'hysterical with fear,' 'shrieking' and 'gasping for air,'" Gonzalez said. "Those accounts were wrong."

"In a very calm, professional and poised demeanor, Betty Ong relayed to us detailed information of the events unfolding on Flight 11," Gonzalez added.

The Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States heard portions of Gonzalez's 23-minute conversation with the operations center on the second of a two-day hearing Tuesday.

In it, Ong tells the operations center her flight and seat number and describes the scene on board.

"I'm sitting in the back. Somebody's coming back from business. If you can hold on for one second here, they're coming back.

"Our No. 1 (flight attendant) got stabbed. Our purser is stabbed. Nobody knows who stabbed who. We can't even get up to business class right now, because nobody can breathe. Uh, our No. 1 is stabbed right now.

"Our No. 5, our first class passenger, er, our first class galley flight attendant and our purser have been stabbed. And we can't get into the cockpit. The door won't open."

"We can't even get into the cockpit. We don't know who's there," Ong says, before the call ends in a dial tone.

The Boeing 767 rammed into the World Trade Center's north tower at 8:46 a.m.

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On the Net:

National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States:

http://www.9-11commission.gov