American Airlines Flight 11

American Airlines Flight 11 was a domestic <a href="/facts/Airline/CEwakbf5">passenger flight</a> that was hijacked by five <a href="/facts/Al-Qaeda/CIQSk3D7">al-Qaeda</a> terrorists on the morning of September 11, 2001, as part of the <a href="/facts/September_11_attacks/PfWQcQNx">September 11 attacks</a>. The hijacked airliner was deliberately crashed into the <a href="/facts/1_World_Trade_Center_(1971%25E2%2580%25932001)/UqmoMxrn">North Tower</a> of the <a href="/facts/World_Trade_Center_(1973%25E2%2580%25932001)/mtSktMFe">World Trade Center</a> complex in <a href="/facts/New_York_City/YlyvFmVC">New York City</a>, killing everyone aboard the flight and resulting in the deaths of more than one thousand people in the top 18 stories of the skyscraper in addition to causing the demise of numerous others below the trapped floors. The crash of Flight 11 stands as the <a href="/facts/Casualties_of_the_September_11_attacks/BADU0jpY">deadliest of the four suicide attacks</a> executed that morning in terms of both plane and ground fatalities, the single deadliest act of terrorism in human history and the <a href="/facts/List_of_deadliest_aircraft_accidents_and_incidents/gs9KougJ">deadliest plane crash of all time</a>. The aircraft involved, a <a href="/facts/Boeing_767/NJtTqBC4">Boeing 767-200ER</a> with 92 passengers and crew, was flying <a href="/facts/American_Airlines/lpwGQXER">American Airlines</a>' daily scheduled morning <a href="/facts/Transcontinental_flight/EpLyz0eE">transcontinental service</a> from <a href="/facts/Logan_International_Airport/VrClP26R">Boston Logan International Airport</a> in <a href="/facts/Massachusetts/9uumCbFI">Massachusetts</a> to <a href="/facts/Los_Angeles_International_Airport/JUjlkxzd">Los Angeles International Airport</a> in <a href="/facts/California/zLW2vdQJ">California</a>.
The airplane left the runway at 07:59. Less than fifteen minutes after takeoff, the <a href="/facts/Hijackers_in_the_September_11_attacks/mbK0nyyU">hijackers</a> injured two flight attendants, murdered one passenger, and breached the cockpit while forcing the passengers and crew to the rear of the aircraft. The assailants attacked both pilots, allowing lead hijacker <a href="/facts/Mohamed_Atta/2b3zhgmq">Mohamed Atta</a> to take over the controls. Air traffic controllers suspected that the flight was in distress because the crew became non-responsive. The air traffic controllers realized that the plane had been hijacked when Atta's announcement to the hostages was accidentally transmitted to air traffic control instead of through the aircraft's PA system. Also, two flight attendants were able to contact <a href="/facts/American_Airlines/lpwGQXER">American Airlines</a> and pass along information relevant to the situation, including casualties suffered by the crew and passengers.
Atta flew the hijacked plane into the North Tower at the World Trade Center from floors 93 through 99 at 08:46 <a href="/facts/Eastern_Daylight_Time/jP4S8j1V">local time</a>. The impact was witnessed by countless people in the streets of New York City as well as the nearby state of <a href="/facts/New_Jersey/pI5k19S7">New Jersey</a>. The media quickly began reporting on the incident and speculated that the crash had been an accident. Seventeen minutes later, <a href="/facts/United_Airlines_Flight_175/daxexNUM">United Airlines Flight 175</a> crashed into the World Trade Center's <a href="/facts/2_World_Trade_Center_(1971%25E2%2580%25932001)/1EgoyAMg">South Tower</a> at 09:03, instantly dispelling any notion it was accidental.
The damage caused by the plane and the fires ignited by its crash caused the North Tower to collapse at 10:28 that morning, resulting in hundreds of additional casualties. While the <a href="/facts/Rescue_and_recovery_effort_after_the_September_11_attacks/wnBeUzAW">recovery effort</a> at the <a href="/facts/World_Trade_Center_site/c9xgaWJH">World Trade Center site</a> did lead to the discovery and identification of body fragments from certain individuals who boarded Flight 11, many have not been identified.

American Airlines Flight 11 open-in-new

American Airlines Flight 11