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Do not fill this in! == Attacks == {{For timeline|Timeline for the day of the September 11 attacks}} Early on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, [[Hijackers in the September 11 attacks|nineteen hijackers]] took control of four commercial airliners (two [[Boeing 757]]s and two [[Boeing 767]]s) en route to California after takeoffs from [[Logan International Airport]] in [[Boston]], Massachusetts; [[Newark Liberty International Airport]] in [[Newark, New Jersey]]; and [[Washington Dulles International Airport]] in [[Loudoun County, Virginia|Loudoun]] and [[Fairfax County, Virginia|Fairfax]] counties in [[Virginia]].<ref name="911-ch1" /> Large planes with long coast-to-coast flights were selected for hijacking because they would have more fuel.<ref name="Chap7" /><!-- Weren't early morning flights also chosen because they would have fewer passengers to overcome? --><!-- wasn't it late taking off, which allowed the passengers to hear of the others? --> {| class="wikitable" |+Key info about the four flights ! rowspan="2"|Operator ! rowspan="2"|Flight number ! rowspan="2"|Aircraft type ! rowspan="2"|Time of departure* ! rowspan="2"|Time of crash* ! rowspan="2"|Departed from ! rowspan="2"|En route to ! rowspan="2"|Crash site ! colspan="5"|Fatalities<br />{{Nobold|(There were no survivors from the flights)}} |- !Crew !Passengers<sup>†</sup> !Ground<sup>§</sup> !Hijackers !Total<sup>‡</sup> |- |[[American Airlines]] |[[American Airlines Flight 11|11]] |[[Boeing 767|Boeing 767-223ER]] |style="text-align:right;"|7:59 a.m. |style="text-align:right;"|8:46 a.m. |[[Logan International Airport]] |[[Los Angeles International Airport]] |[[List of tenants in 1 World Trade Center (1971–2001)|North Tower]] of the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]], floors 93 to 99 |style="text-align:right;"|11 |style="text-align:right;"|76 |style="text-align:right;" rowspan="2" |2,606 |style="text-align:right;"|5 |style="text-align:right;" rowspan="2" |2,763 |- |[[United Airlines]] |[[United Airlines Flight 175|175]] |[[Boeing 767|Boeing 767–222]] |style="text-align:right;"|8:14 a.m. |style="text-align:right;"|9:03 a.m.{{efn|name=Time}} |Logan International Airport |Los Angeles International Airport |[[List of tenants in 2 World Trade Center|South Tower]] of the World Trade Center, floors 77 to 85 |style="text-align:right;"|9 |style="text-align:right;"|51 |style="text-align:right;"|5 |- |American Airlines |[[American Airlines Flight 77|77]] |[[Boeing 757|Boeing 757–223]] |style="text-align:right;"|8:20 a.m. |style="text-align:right;"|9:37 a.m. |[[Washington Dulles International Airport]] |Los Angeles International Airport |West wall of [[The Pentagon|Pentagon]] |style="text-align:right;"|6 |style="text-align:right;"|53 |style="text-align:right;"|125 |style="text-align:right;"|5 |style="text-align:right;"|189 |- |United Airlines |[[United Airlines Flight 93|93]] |[[Boeing 757|Boeing 757–222]] |style="text-align:right;"|8:42 a.m. |style="text-align:right;"|10:03 a.m. |[[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark Int'l Airport]] |[[San Francisco International Airport]] |Field in [[Stonycreek Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania|Stonycreek Township]] near [[Shanksville, Pennsylvania|Shanksville]] |style="text-align:right;"|7 |style="text-align:right;"|33 |style="text-align:right;"|0 |style="text-align:right;"|4 |style="text-align:right;"|44 |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:right" colspan="8" |Totals |style="text-align:right;"|33 |style="text-align:right;"|213 |style="text-align:right;"|2,731 |style="text-align:right;"|19 |style="text-align:right;"|2,996 |} '''*''' [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern Daylight Time]] (UTC−04:00)<br />'''<sup>†</sup>''' Excluding hijackers<br />'''<sup>§</sup>''' Including emergency workers<br />'''<sup>‡</sup>''' Including hijackers === The four crashes === {{See also|Media documentation of the September 11 attacks}} {{multiple image | total_width = 410 | image1 = | image2 = WTC 2 plane crash (Myers clip6).webm | image3 = | image4 = | caption1 = [[American Airlines Flight 11]] crashes into the North Tower, the first such attack. | caption2 = [[United Airlines Flight 175]] crashes into [[2 World Trade Center]] }} At 7:59 a.m., [[American Airlines Flight 11]] took off from [[Logan International Airport]] in [[Boston]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/news/packages/underattack/news/planes_reconstruction.htm |title=Probe reconstructs horror, calculated attacks on planes |last=Johnson |first=Glen |date=November 23, 2001 |work=The Boston Globe|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121202072139/http://www.boston.com/news/packages/underattack/news/planes_reconstruction.htm |archive-date=December 2, 2012 }}</ref> Fifteen minutes into the flight, five hijackers armed with [[Utility knife|boxcutter]]s took over the plane, injuring at least three people (and possibly killing one)<ref>{{cite news |title=Excerpt: A travel day like any other until some passengers left their seats |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001986488_planes23.html |work=[[The Seattle Times]] |date=July 23, 2004 |access-date=May 23, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111119033249/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001986488_planes23.html |archive-date=November 19, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Inside the failed Air Force scramble to prevent the Sept. 11 attacks |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5315883/ |publisher=[[MSNBC]] |date=June 28, 2004 |access-date=May 23, 2008|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090918164352/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5315883/ |archive-date=September 18, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Woolley |first=Scott |title=Video Prophet |url=https://www.forbes.com/home/technology/forbes/2007/0423/068.html |date=April 23, 2007 |work=Forbes |access-date=May 23, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216103647/http://www.forbes.com/home/technology/forbes/2007/0423/068.html |archive-date=December 16, 2008 }}</ref> before forcing their way into the cockpit. The terrorists also displayed an apparent explosive and sprayed [[Tear gas|mace]] into the cabin, to frighten the hostages into submission and further hinder resistance.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Sheehy, Gail |url=http://www.observer.com/node/48805 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071207153421/http://www.observer.com/node/48805 |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 7, 2007 |title='Stewardess ID'd Hijackers Early, Transcripts Show' burden |work=New York Observer |date=February 15, 2004 |access-date=Sep 30, 2010}}</ref> Back at Logan, [[United Airlines Flight 175]] took off at 8:14 a.m., approximately the same time as Flight 11's hijacking.<ref name="We have some planes">{{cite web|url=https://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report_Ch1.htm|title=WE HAVE SOME PLANES|publisher=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States|access-date=December 7, 2023|archive-date=December 5, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041205190225/https://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report_Ch1.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Hundreds of miles southwest at [[Dulles International Airport]], [[American Airlines Flight 77]] left the runway at 8:20 a.m.<ref name="We have some planes" /> Flight 175's journey proceeded normally for 28 minutes until 8:42 a.m., when a group of five hijacked the plane, murdering both pilots and stabbing several crew members before assuming control of the aircraft. These hijackers also used bomb threats to instil fear into the passengers and crew,{{sfn|9/11 Commission|2004a|pp=7–8}} also spraying chemical weapons to disable any opposition.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/specials/september-11-remembered/2011-09-06/september-11-timeline/2862086|title=September 11: From take-off to tragic loss|date=September 5, 2011|access-date=November 29, 2022|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|archive-date=November 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129075152/https://www.abc.net.au/news/specials/september-11-remembered/2011-09-06/september-11-timeline/2862086|url-status=live}}</ref> Concurrently, [[United Airlines Flight 93]] departed from [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark International Airport]] in [[New Jersey]];<ref name="We have some planes" /> originally scheduled to pull away from the gate at 8:00 a.m., the plane was running 42 minutes late. At 8:46 a.m., Flight 11 was deliberately crashed into the north face of the World Trade Center's North Tower (1 WTC),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB196/doc01.pdf |title=Flight Path Study – American Airlines Flight 11 |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |date=February 19, 2002 |access-date=June 27, 2011 |archive-date=February 14, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070214030913/http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB196/doc01.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> although the initial presumption by many was that this was merely an accident.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5335a3.htm|title=Preliminary Results from the World Trade Center Evacuation Study – New York City, 2003|access-date=November 30, 2022|archive-date=December 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204032648/https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5335a3.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> At 8:51 a.m., [[American Airlines Flight 77]] was also taken over by another group of five who forcibly entered the cockpit 31 minutes after takeoff.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gregor |first=Joseph A. |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/foia/9_11/ATC_Report_AA77.pdf |title=ATC Report American Airlines Flight 77 |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |date=December 21, 2001 |access-date=September 25, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029094317/https://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/foia/9_11/ATC_Report_AA77.pdf |archive-date=October 29, 2012 }}</ref> Although the hijackers on this flight were equipped with knives,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2001/09/12/on-flight-77-our-plane-is-being-hijacked/85b3c4b3-876b-4bb5-b1f7-00cc8c37b75e/|title='On Flight 77: 'Our Plane Is Being Hijacked'|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=September 12, 2001|access-date=November 27, 2022|archive-date=January 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160111151019/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2001/09/12/on-flight-77-our-plane-is-being-hijacked/85b3c4b3-876b-4bb5-b1f7-00cc8c37b75e/|url-status=live}}</ref> there were no reports of anyone on board being stabbed, nor did the two people who made phone calls mention the use of mace or a bomb threat. Seventeen minutes after the first plane crashed into the North Tower, Flight 175 was flown into the South Tower's southern facade (2{{spaces}}WTC)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB196/doc03.pdf |title=Flight Path Study – United Airlines Flight 175 |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |date=February 19, 2002 |access-date=June 27, 2011 |archive-date=June 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140617050241/http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB196/doc03.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> at 9:03 a.m.,{{efn|name=Time}} demonstrating that the first crash was not an accident, but rather a terrorist attack.<ref>{{cite news|title=9:03 a.m.: The 9/11 moment when many grasped a new reality|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/09/10/903-a-m-the-9-11-moment-when-many-grasped-a-new-reality/|website=[[The Mercury News]]|date=September 10, 2021|access-date=February 5, 2023|archive-date=November 30, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130094708/https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/09/10/903-a-m-the-9-11-moment-when-many-grasped-a-new-reality/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title='By 9:05 a.m., it was clear America was under attack'|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/11/it-was-the-loudest-explosion-ive-ever-heard-a-9/11-survivor-on-her-harrowing-escape-from-the-pentagon.html|publisher=[[CNBC]]|date=September 11, 2021|access-date=February 5, 2023|archive-date=November 30, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130094707/https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/11/it-was-the-loudest-explosion-ive-ever-heard-a-9/11-survivor-on-her-harrowing-escape-from-the-pentagon.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Four men aboard Flight 93 struck suddenly, killing at least one passenger, after having waited 46 minutes to make their move—a holdup that proved disastrous for the terrorists when combined with the delayed takeoff from the runway;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/26/arts/united-93-and-the-politics-of-heroism.html|title='United 93' and the politics of heroism|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 26, 2006|last1=Longman|first1=Jere|access-date=December 7, 2023|archive-date=March 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306235027/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/26/arts/united-93-and-the-politics-of-heroism.html|url-status=live}}</ref> they stormed the cockpit and seized control of the plane at 9:28 a.m., turning the plane eastbound and setting course for Washington, D.C.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stout |first=David |title=Recording From Flight 93 Played at Trial |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/12/us/12cnd-moussaoui.html?hp&ex=1144900800&en=f6fc83f83a632d06&ei=5094&partner=homepage |date=April 12, 2006 |work=The New York Times |access-date=August 24, 2008 |archive-date=September 4, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904030034/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/12/us/12cnd-moussaoui.html?hp&ex=1144900800&en=f6fc83f83a632d06&ei=5094&partner=homepage |url-status=live }}</ref> Much like their counterparts on the first two flights, the fourth team also used bomb threats and filled the cabin with mace.<ref>{{cite news |title=Transcript: Paula Zahn Now |date=April 12, 2006 |publisher=CNN|url=http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/12/pzn.01.html |access-date=April 5, 2010 |archive-date=October 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021015137/http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/12/pzn.01.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Nine minutes after Flight 93's hijacking, Flight 77 crashed into the west side of the Pentagon.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB196/doc02.pdf |title=Flight Path Study – American Airlines Flight 77 |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |date=February 19, 2002 |access-date=June 27, 2011 |archive-date=August 24, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060824050511/http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB196/doc02.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Because of the two delays,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/09/09/flight-93-target-capitol/|title=What was Flight 93's target on 9/11?|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=September 9, 2021|access-date=November 27, 2022|archive-date=January 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110042815/https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/09/09/flight-93-target-capitol/|url-status=live}}</ref> the passengers and crew of Flight 93 had time to be made aware of the previous attacks through phone calls to the ground, and as a result an uprising was hastily organized to take control of the aircraft at 9:57 a.m.<ref name="WP93">{{cite news |first=David |last=Snyder |title=Families Hear Flight 93's Final Moments |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-351703.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602123513/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-351703.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 2, 2013|newspaper=The Washington Post |date=April 19, 2002 |access-date=November 12, 2013}}</ref> Within minutes, passengers had fought their way to the front of the cabin and began breaking down the cockpit door. Fearing their captives would gain the upper hand, the hijackers rolled the plane and pitched it into a nosedive,<ref name="Flight93Xscript">{{cite wikisource |title=Flight 93 Cockpit Transcript}}</ref><ref name="NPS Flight 93 Story">{{cite web |title=The Flight 93 Story |url=http://www.nps.gov/flni/historyculture/index.htm |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=September 21, 2011 |archive-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112214156/http://www.nps.gov/flni/historyculture/index.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> crashing into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh, at 10:03 a.m. The plane was about twenty minutes away from reaching D.C. at the time of the crash, and its target is believed to have been either the [[United States Capitol|Capitol Building]] or the [[White House]].<ref name="Chap7">{{cite book |chapter=The Attack Looms |chapter-url=http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report_Ch7.htm |year=2004 |title=''9/11 Commission Report'' |publisher=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States |access-date=September 1, 2011 |archive-date=December 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121205050859/http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report_Ch7.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="WP93" /> Some passengers and crew members who called from the aircraft using the cabin air phone service and mobile phones provided details: several hijackers were aboard each plane; they used [[Mace (spray)|mace]], tear gas, or pepper spray to overcome attendants; and some people aboard had been stabbed.<ref name="93phone">*{{cite news |last=McKinnon |first=Jim |title=The phone line from Flight 93 was still open when a GTE operator heard Todd Beamer say: 'Are you guys ready? Let's roll' |url=http://old.post-gazette.com/headlines/20010916phonecallnat3p3.asp |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=September 16, 2001 |access-date=April 10, 2011 |archive-date=October 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001003507/http://old.post-gazette.com/headlines/20010916phonecallnat3p3.asp |url-status=dead }} *{{cite news |title=Relatives wait for news as rescuers dig |url=http://europe.cnn.com/2001/US/09/12/family.reacts/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=September 13, 2001 |access-date=November 11, 2013 |archive-date=November 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111213433/http://europe.cnn.com/2001/US/09/12/family.reacts/index.html |url-status=live }} *Summers and Swan (2011), pp. 58, 463n, 476n. *{{cite news |last1=Wilgoren |first1=Jodi |last2=Wong |first2=Edward |title=On Doomed Flight, Passengers Vowed To Perish Fighting |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/13/us/after-attacks-united-flight-93-doomed-flight-passengers-vowed-perish-fighting.html |url-status=live |work=The New York Times |date=September 13, 2001 |access-date=September 1, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090820221831/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/13/us/after-attacks-united-flight-93-doomed-flight-passengers-vowed-perish-fighting.html |archive-date=August 20, 2009 }} *{{cite news |last=Serrano |first=Richard A. |title=Moussaoui Jury Hears the Panic From 9/11 |url=http://articles.latimes.com/2006/apr/11/nation/na-moussa11 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=April 11, 2006 |access-date=September 1, 2011 |archive-date=December 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225172359/http://articles.latimes.com/2006/apr/11/nation/na-moussa11 |url-status=live }} *{{cite news |last1=Goo |first1=Sara Kehaulani |last2=Eggen |first2=Dan |title=Hijackers used Mace, knives to take over airplanes |url=http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Hijackers-used-Mace-knives-to-take-over-2805009.php |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=January 28, 2004 |access-date=November 12, 2013 |archive-date=November 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112202350/http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Hijackers-used-Mace-knives-to-take-over-2805009.php |url-status=live }} *{{cite news|last=Ahlers|first=Mike M.|url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/01/27/911.commis.knife/|title=9/11 panel: Hijackers may have had utility knives|date=January 27, 2004|access-date=September 1, 2011|publisher=CBS News|archive-date=June 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100604231807/http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/01/27/911.commis.knife/|url-status=live}}</ref> Reports indicated hijackers stabbed and killed pilots, flight attendants, and one or more passengers.<ref name="911-ch1">''The 9/11 Commission Report'', pp. 4–14.</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0201/06/lklw.00.html |title=Encore Presentation: Barbara Olson Remembered |work=Larry King Live |publisher=CNN |date=January 6, 2002 |access-date=September 1, 2011 |archive-date=December 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225172447/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0201/06/lklw.00.html%20 |url-status=live }}</ref> According to the 9/11 Commission's final report, the hijackers had recently purchased multi-function hand tools and assorted [[Leatherman]]-type utility knives with locking blades (which were not forbidden to passengers at the time), but these were not found among the possessions left behind by the hijackers.<ref name="commission">{{cite web |title=National Commission Upon Terrorist Attacks in the United States |url=http://www.9-11commission.gov/archive/hearing7/9-11Commission_Hearing_2004-01-27.htm |publisher=National Commission Upon Terrorist Attacks in the United States |access-date=January 24, 2008 |date=January 27, 2004 |archive-date=September 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110905073043/http://www.9-11commission.gov/archive/hearing7/9-11Commission_Hearing_2004-01-27.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Summers and Swan (2011), p. 343.</ref> A flight attendant on Flight 11, a passenger on Flight 175, and passengers on Flight 93 said the hijackers had bombs, but one of the passengers said he thought the bombs were fake. The FBI found no traces of explosives at the crash sites, and the 9/11 Commission concluded that the bombs were probably fake.<ref name="911-ch1" /> On at least two of the hijacked flights—American 11 and United 93—the terrorists claimed over the PA system that they were taking hostages and were returning to the airport to have a ransom demand met, a clear attempt to prevent passengers from fighting back. Both attempts failed, however, as both hijacker pilots in these instances (Mohamed Atta<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ntsb.gov/about/Documents/Flight_Path_Study_AA11.pdf|title=Flight Path Study – American Airlines Flight 11|publisher=[[National Transportation Safety Board]]|access-date=November 29, 2022|archive-date=November 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151105103018/http://www.ntsb.gov/about/Documents/Flight_Path_Study_AA11.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> and Ziad Jarrah,<ref>{{cite news|last=Hirschkorn|first=Phil|title=On tape, passengers heard trying to retake cockpit|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/04/12/moussaoui.trial/|date=April 12, 2006|publisher=CNN|access-date=November 29, 2022|archive-date=May 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501233708/http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/04/12/moussaoui.trial/|url-status=live}}</ref> respectively) keyed the wrong switch and mistakenly transmitted their messages to ATC instead of the people on the plane as intended, tipping off the flight controllers that the planes had been hijacked. [[File:Pentagon Security Camera 1.ogv|thumb|upright=1.15|thumbtime=01:31|Security camera footage of [[American Airlines Flight 77]] crashing into [[the Pentagon]];<ref name="jw">{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L75Gga92WO8 |title=Flight 77, Video 2 |publisher=Judicial Watch |access-date=April 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/L75Gga92WO8 |archive-date=December 14, 2021 |url-status=live |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref><!-- YouTube videos aren't normally reliable but this is Judicial Watch's official account --> The plane collides with The Pentagon approximately 86 seconds after the start of the recording.]] [[Collapse of the World Trade Center|Three buildings in the World Trade Center collapsed]] due to fire-induced structural failure. Although the South Tower was struck 17 minutes after the North Tower, the plane's impact zone was far lower, at a much faster speed, and into a corner, with the unevenly-balanced additional structural weight causing it to collapse first at 9:59 a.m.,<ref>{{cite journal|last=National Institute of Standards and Technology|title=Final Reports from the NIST World Trade Center Disaster Investigation|journal=NIST|year=2005|url=https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/NCSTAR/ncstar1-5av1.pdf|access-date=December 7, 2023|archive-date=September 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911011051/https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/NCSTAR/ncstar1-5av1.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|80}}<ref name="finalreport">{{cite book|last=9/11 Final Report of the National Commission|title=Collapse of WTC2|year=2004|url=https://9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdf|access-date=December 7, 2023|archive-date=September 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912055527/https://9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|322}} having burned for 56 minutes{{efn|NIST and the 9/11 Commission both state that the collapse began at 9:58:59 a.m., which is rounded to 9:59<ref>{{cite journal|last=National Institute of Standards and Technology|title=Final Reports from the NIST World Trade Center Disaster Investigation|journal=NIST|year=2005|url=https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/NCSTAR/ncstar1-5av1.pdf|access-date=December 7, 2023|archive-date=September 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911011051/https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/NCSTAR/ncstar1-5av1.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|84}}<ref name="finalreport" />{{rp|322}} for simplicity. If the commission's claim that the South Tower was struck at 9:03:11 is to be believed, then the collapse began 55 minutes and 48 seconds after the crash, not 56 minutes.}} in the fire caused by the crash of United Airlines Flight 175 and the explosion of its fuel. The North Tower lasted another 29 minutes before collapsing at 10:28 a.m.,{{efn|The exact time of the North Tower's collapse initiation is disputed, with NIST dubbing the moment it began to collapse as being 10:28:22 a.m.<ref>{{cite web |title=Final Report on the Collapse of World Trade Center Building 7 |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-C13-4d4c17460292ee57ef313f6491fa8d1e/pdf/GOVPUB-C13-4d4c17460292ee57ef313f6491fa8d1e.pdf |publisher=National Institute of Standards and Technology |access-date=March 17, 2023 |archive-date=March 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309172011/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-C13-4d4c17460292ee57ef313f6491fa8d1e/pdf/GOVPUB-C13-4d4c17460292ee57ef313f6491fa8d1e.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> and the 9/11 Commission recording the time as 10:28:25.<ref name="DOD Cronk Biden Announces" />{{rp|329}}}} one hour and forty-two minutes{{efn|name=Time1}} after being struck by American Airlines Flight 11. When the North Tower collapsed, debris fell on the nearby [[7 World Trade Center]] building (7{{spaces}}WTC), damaging the building and starting fires. These fires burned for nearly seven hours, compromising the building's structural integrity, and 7{{spaces}}WTC collapsed at 5:21{{spaces}}p.m.<ref>''World Trade Center Building Performance Study'', Ch. 5 WTC 7{{snd}}section 5.5.4</ref>{{sfnp|''Final Report on the Collapse of World Trade Center Building 7''|2008|p=xxxvii}} The west side of the Pentagon sustained significant damage. At 9:42 a.m., the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] (FAA) grounded all civilian aircraft within the continental U.S., and civilian aircraft already in flight were told to land immediately.<ref>{{cite news |title=Chapter 1: "We have some planes" |url=http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report_Ch1.pdf |work=The 9/11 Commission Report |date=July 22, 2004 |access-date=July 5, 2015 |archive-date=September 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190916171709/http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report_Ch1.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> All international civilian aircraft were either turned back or redirected to airports in Canada or Mexico, and were banned from landing on [[United States territory]] for three days.<ref>{{cite web |title=Profiles of 9/11 – About 9/11|url=http://www.biography.com/profiles-of-9-11/about911.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722151526/http://www.biography.com/profiles-of-9-11/about911.jsp |archive-date=July 22, 2011 |publisher=[[The Biography Channel]] |access-date=September 2, 2011}}</ref> The attacks created widespread confusion among news organizations and air traffic controllers. Among unconfirmed and often contradictory news reports aired throughout the day, one of the most prevalent claimed a car bomb had been detonated at the U.S. State Department's headquarters in Washington, D.C.<ref name="errors2">{{cite web |last=Miller |first=Mark |title=Three hours that shook America: A chronology of chaos |url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/news-articles/three-hours-shook-america-chronology-chaos/93600 |date=August 26, 2002 |website=[[Broadcasting & Cable]] |access-date=September 2, 2011 |archive-date=January 30, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140130020702/http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/news-articles/three-hours-shook-america-chronology-chaos/93600 |url-status=live }}</ref> Another jet ([[Delta Air Lines Flight 1989]]) was suspected of having been hijacked, but the aircraft responded to controllers and landed safely in Cleveland, Ohio.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Marilyn |last2=Levin |first2=Alan |last3=Morrison |first3=Blake |title=Part II: No one was sure if hijackers were on board |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/sept11/2002-08-12-hijacker-daytwo_x.htm |work=[[USA Today]] |date=August 13, 2002 |access-date=September 2, 2011}}</ref> In an April 2002 interview, [[Khalid Sheikh Mohammed]] and [[Ramzi bin al-Shibh]], who are believed to have organized the attacks, said Flight 93's intended target was the United States Capitol, not the White House.{{sfnp|Fouda|Fielding|2004|pp=158–59}} During the planning stage of the attacks, [[Mohamed Atta]] (Flight 11's hijacker and pilot) thought the White House might be too tough a target and sought an assessment from [[Hani Hanjour]] (who hijacked and piloted Flight 77).<ref name="The Eleventh Day pp 323">Summers and Swan (2011), p. 323.</ref> Mohammed said Al-Qaeda initially planned to target nuclear installations rather than the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, but decided against it, fearing things could "get out of control".<ref name="AlQaedaplotted2002">{{cite news |title=Al-Qaeda 'plotted nuclear attacks' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2244146.stm |publisher=BBC News |date=September 8, 2002 |access-date=September 2, 2011 |archive-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103031125/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2244146.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Final decisions on targets, according to Mohammed, were left in the hands of the pilots.<ref name="The Eleventh Day pp 323" /> If any pilot could not reach his intended target, he was to crash the plane.<ref name="Chap7" /> === Casualties === {{Main|Casualties of the September 11 attacks|Lists of victims of the September 11 attacks}} [[File:WONDER-R1-E008 (cropped).jpg|thumb|One of three observable falls from the South Tower.<ref>{{cite journal |publisher=[[National Institute of Standards and Technology]] |title=Final Reports from the NIST World Trade Center Disaster Investigation |journal=NIST |year=2005 |url=https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/NCSTAR/ncstar1-5av1.pdf |page=86 |access-date=November 21, 2022 |archive-date=September 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911011051/https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/NCSTAR/ncstar1-5av1.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> A similar photograph of a victim from the North Tower titled ''[[The Falling Man]]'' gained wide acclamation.]] The attack on the World Trade Center's North Tower single-handedly{{efn|The [[Camp Speicher massacre|massacre at Camp Speicher]]―often described as the second deadliest act of terrorism in history after 9/11―is said to have killed between 1,095 and 1,700 people.<ref>{{cite web|title=1095 soldiers still missing since the Speicher massacre by ISIS|url=http://arabic.cnn.com/middleeast/2014/09/18/iraq-isis-camp-speicher|website=CNN Arabic|date=18 September 2014|access-date=15 May 2023|language=ar|archive-date=September 20, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140920011251/http://arabic.cnn.com/middleeast/2014/09/18/iraq-isis-camp-speicher|url-status=live}}</ref> The upper estimate would tie it with the attack on the World Trade Center's North Tower, but until the true death toll of the massacre becomes known, then the hijacking and crash of Flight 11 was the deadliest act of terrorism on record.}} made 9/11 the deadliest act of terrorism in world history.<ref name="ourworldindata-terrorism-2996">{{Cite journal |last1=Ritchie |first1=Hannah |last2=Hasell |first2=Joe |last3=Mathieu |first3=Edouard |last4=Appel |first4=Cameron |last5=Roser |first5=Max |date=July 28, 2013 |title=Terrorism |url=https://ourworldindata.org/terrorism |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424230128/http://ourworldindata.org/terrorism/ |archive-date=April 24, 2016 |access-date=July 12, 2023 |journal=[[Our World in Data]] |quote=Airline hijackings: 2,996 people died as a result of the 9/11 attacks, making it the most fatal terrorist incident in recorded history.}}</ref> Taken together, the four crashes caused the deaths of 2,996 people (including the hijackers) and injured thousands more.<ref name='CBC-Winnipegger'>{{cite news |title=Winnipegger heads to NY for 9/11 memorial |date=September 9, 2011 |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipegger-heads-to-ny-for-9-11-memorial-1.991431 |publisher=CBC News |access-date=November 13, 2013 |quote=A total of 2,996 people died: 19 hijackers and 2,977 victims. |archive-date=November 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113021016/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipegger-heads-to-ny-for-9-11-memorial-1.991431 |url-status=live }}</ref> The death toll included 265 on the four planes (from which there were no survivors); 2,606 in the World Trade Center and in the surrounding area; and 125 at The Pentagon.<ref name="edition.cnn.com">{{cite news |title=Accused 9/11 plotter Khalid Sheikh Mohammed faces New York trial |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/13/khalid.sheikh.mohammed/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=November 13, 2009 |access-date=September 2, 2011 |archive-date=October 28, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028165022/http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/13/khalid.sheikh.mohammed/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/16/pentagon.video/index.html |title=First video of Pentagon 9/11 attack released |publisher=CNN|date=May 16, 2006 |access-date=September 2, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060923103317/http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/16/pentagon.video/index.html |archive-date=September 23, 2006|url-status=live}}</ref> Most who died were civilians, as well as 343 firefighters, 72 law enforcement officers, 55 military personnel, and the 19 terrorists.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stone |first=Andrea |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/sept11/2002-08-20-pentagon_x.htm |title=Military's aid and comfort ease 9/11 survivors' burden |work=USA Today |date=August 20, 2002 |access-date=September 2, 2011 |archive-date=June 27, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120627082049/http://www.usatoday.com/news/sept11/2002-08-20-pentagon_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[http://www.orgsites.com/va/asis151/Sep11Memorial.pdf September 11 Memorial] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160326025722/http://www.orgsites.com/va/asis151/Sep11Memorial.pdf |date=March 26, 2016}}</ref> After New York, New Jersey lost the most state citizens.<ref name="beveridge">{{cite news|url=http://www.gothamgazette.com/demographics/91102.shtml|title=9/11/01-02: A Demographic Portrait of the Victims in 10048|website=Gotham Gazette|last=Beveridge|first=Andrew|access-date=September 2, 2011|archive-date=August 9, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809142854/http://www.gothamgazette.com/demographics/91102.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> More than 90 countries lost citizens in the attacks.<ref name="countries_deaths">{{cite web|title=A list of the countries whose citizens died as a result of the attacks on September 11, 2001 |publisher=[[Bureau of International Information Programs|U.S. Department of State, Office of International Information Programs]] |url=http://usinfo.state.gov/is/img/assets/4756/9_11onepager1.pdf |access-date=March 18, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411152231/http://usinfo.state.gov/is/img/assets/4756/9_11onepager1.pdf |archive-date=April 11, 2008}}</ref> In New York City, more than 90% of the workers and visitors who died in the towers had been at or above the points of impact. In the North Tower, between 1,344<ref>{{cite news|date=September 10, 2003|title=Two Years Later: The 91st Floor; The Line Between Life and Death, Still Indelible|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/10/us/two-years-later-the-91st-floor-the-line-between-life-and-death-still-indelible.html|access-date=December 5, 2022|archive-date=December 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205201711/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/10/us/two-years-later-the-91st-floor-the-line-between-life-and-death-still-indelible.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and 1,402<ref>{{cite news|website=[[Forbes]]|title=9/11 Survivors And Thrivers|access-date=December 5, 2022|last=Bousquette|first=Isabelle|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/isabellebousquette/2021/09/10/911-survivors-and-thrivers/?sh=285a95f2552d|archive-date=December 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205201710/https://www.forbes.com/sites/isabellebousquette/2021/09/10/911-survivors-and-thrivers/?sh=285a95f2552d|url-status=live}}</ref> people were at, above or one floor below the point of impact and all died. Hundreds were killed instantly the moment the plane struck.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch9.htm |title=Heroism and Horror |year=2004 |publisher=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States |access-date=July 1, 2006 |archive-date=August 15, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070815141749/http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch9.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The estimated 800 people<ref name="102Mins">{{cite news |last=Dwyer |first=Jim |author2=Lipton, Eric |title=102 Minutes: Last Words at the Trade Center; Fighting to Live as the Towers Die |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/26/nyregion/102-minutes-last-words-at-the-trade-center-fighting-to-live-as-the-towers-die.html |date=May 26, 2002 |work=The New York Times |access-date=December 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114063928/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/26/nyregion/102-minutes-last-words-at-the-trade-center-fighting-to-live-as-the-towers-die.html |archive-date=November 14, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> who survived the impact were trapped and died in the fires or from smoke inhalation; fell or jumped from the tower to escape the smoke and flames; or were killed in the building's collapse. The destruction of all three staircases in the North Tower when Flight 11 hit made it impossible for anyone from the impact zone upward to escape. 107 people not trapped by the impact died.<ref name="NISTcasualties">{{harvp|Sunder|2005|p=48}}</ref> When the plane struck between floors 93 and 99, the 92nd floor was also rendered inescapable when the crash severed all elevator shafts while debris falling from the impact zone blocked the stairwells, ensuring the deaths of all 69 workers on the floor below the point of impact. In the South Tower, around 600 people were on or above the 77th floor when Flight 175 struck and few survived. As with the North Tower, hundreds were killed at the moment of impact. Unlike those in the North Tower, the estimated 300 survivors<ref name="102Mins" /> of the crash were not technically trapped by the damage done by Flight 175's impact, but most were either unaware that a means of escape still existed or were unable to use it. One stairway, [[Stairwell A]], narrowly avoided being destroyed as Flight 175 crashed through the building, allowing 14 people located on the floors of impact (including [[Stanley Praimnath]], a man who saw the plane coming at him) and four more from the floors above to escape. New York City [[9-1-1]] operators who received calls from people inside the tower were not well informed of the situation as it rapidly unfolded and as a result, told callers not to descend the tower on their own.<ref>{{cite book |last=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks |title=''The 9/11 Commission Report'' |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |date=July 22, 2004 |url=https://archive.org/details/911commissionrep00nati/page/294 |page=[https://archive.org/details/911commissionrep00nati/page/294 294] |isbn=978-0-393-32671-0 |access-date=January 24, 2014 |edition=first }}</ref> In total, 630 people died in the South Tower, fewer than half the number killed in the North Tower.<ref name="NISTcasualties" /> Of the 100–200 people witnessed jumping or falling to their deaths that morning,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/sept11/2002-09-02-jumper_x.htm|title=Desperation forced a horrific decision|work=USA Today|access-date=April 18, 2015|archive-date=September 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190906201041/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/sept11/2002-09-02-jumper_x.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> only three recorded sightings were from the South Tower.<ref>{{cite journal|last=National Institute of Standards and Technology|title=Final Reports from the NIST World Trade Center Disaster Investigation|journal=NIST|year=2005|url=https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/NCSTAR/ncstar1-5av1.pdf|access-date=December 7, 2023|archive-date=September 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911011051/https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/NCSTAR/ncstar1-5av1.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|86}} Casualties in the South Tower were significantly reduced because some occupants decided to leave the building immediately following the first crash, and because Eric Eisenberg, an executive at [[Aon (company)|AON Insurance]], made the decision to evacuate the floors occupied by AON (floors 92 and 98–105) in the moments following the impact of Flight 11. The 17-minute gap allowed over 900 of the 1,100 AON employees present on-site to evacuate from above the 77th floor before the South Tower was struck; Eisenberg was among the nearly 200 who did not escape. Similar pre-impact evacuations were carried out by companies such as [[Fiduciary Trust Company International|Fiduciary Trust]], [[Corporation Service Company|CSC]], and Euro Brokers, all of whom had offices on floors above the point of impact. The failure to order a full evacuation of the South Tower after the first plane crash into the North Tower was described by ''[[USA Today]]'' as "one of the day's great tragedies".<ref name="Purpura 2007 p300">{{cite book |last=Purpura |first=Philip |title=Security and Loss Prevention: An Introduction |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ir4gbdZLlOEC&pg=PA300|access-date=September 16, 2017 |edition=5th |year=2007 |publisher=Elsevier |isbn=978-0-08-055400-6 |page=300 |chapter=Life safety, fire protection, and emergencies |quote=Almost all the 600 people in the top floors of the south tower died after a second hijacked airliner crashed in the 80th floor shortly after 9{{spaces}}a.m. The failure to evacuate the building was one of the day's great tragedies.}}</ref> As exemplified in the photograph ''[[The Falling Man]]'', more than 200 people fell to their deaths from the burning towers, most of whom were forced to [[Jumper (suicide)|jump]] to escape the extreme heat, fire and smoke.<ref name="horrificdecision">{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/sept11/2002-09-02-jumper_x.htm |title=Desperation forced a horrific decision |work=USA Today |date=September 2, 2002 |last1=Cauchon |first1=Dennis |last2=Moore |first2=Martha |access-date=September 2, 2011 |archive-date=September 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120901152537/http://www.usatoday.com/news/sept11/2002-09-02-jumper_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Some occupants of each tower above the point of impact made their way toward the roof in the hope of helicopter rescue, but the roof access doors were locked.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Paltrow|first1=Scot|title=Could Helicopters Have Saved People From the Top of the Trade Center?|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1003784754436648720|website=The Wall Street Journal|date=October 23, 2001|access-date=January 22, 2017|archive-date=August 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813051841/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1003784754436648720|url-status=live}}</ref> No plan existed for helicopter rescues, and the combination of roof equipment, thick smoke and intense heat prevented helicopters from approaching.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/18/terror/main618174.shtml|title=Poor Info Hindered 9/11 Rescue|publisher=CBS News|date=May 18, 2004|access-date=September 2, 2011|archive-date=December 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225172234/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/poor-info-hindered-9-11-rescue/|url-status=dead}}</ref> At the World Trade Center complex, a total of 414 emergency workers died as they tried to rescue people and fight fires, while another law enforcement officer was separately killed when United 93 crashed. The [[New York City Fire Department]] (FDNY) lost 343 firefighters, including a chaplain and two [[paramedics]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nyfd.com/9_11_wtc.html|title=The Unofficial Home Page of FDNY|publisher=New York City Fire Department|access-date=December 7, 2023|archive-date=April 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408020920/https://nyfd.com/9_11_wtc.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Deadliest incidents resulting in the deaths of 8 or more firefighters |url=https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Data-research-and-tools/Emergency-Responders/Firefighter-fatalities-in-the-United-States/Deadliest-incidents-resulting-in-the-deaths-of-8-or-more-firefighters |publisher=[[National Fire Protection Association]] |access-date=December 7, 2023 |archive-date=March 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328084413/https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Data-research-and-tools/Emergency-Responders/Firefighter-fatalities-in-the-United-States/Deadliest-incidents-resulting-in-the-deaths-of-8-or-more-firefighters |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=June 11, 2002 |title=Congressional Record, Vol. 148, No. 76 |url=https://www.congress.gov/107/crec/2002/06/11/CREC-2002-06-11.pdf |publisher=Government Printing Office |page=H3312 |quote=[[Joel Hefley|Mr. Hefley]]: That fateful Tuesday we lost 72 police officers, the largest single loss of law enforcement personnel in a single day in the history of our country. |access-date=December 7, 2023 |archive-date=March 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220324004649/https://www.congress.gov/107/crec/2002/06/11/CREC-2002-06-11.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[New York City Police Department]] (NYPD) lost 23 officers.<ref>{{cite news |title=Post-9/11 report recommends police, fire response changes |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2002-08-19-nypd-nyfd-report_x.htm |date=August 19, 2002 |agency=Associated Press |work=USA Today |access-date=September 2, 2011 |archive-date=August 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110820043759/http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2002-08-19-nypd-nyfd-report_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Port Authority Police Department]] (PAPD) lost 37 officers.<ref>{{cite news|title=Police back on day-to-day beat after 9/11 nightmare|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2002/US/07/20/wtc.police/|date=July 21, 2002|publisher=CNN|access-date=November 12, 2013|archive-date=November 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113015111/http://edition.cnn.com/2002/US/07/20/wtc.police/|url-status=live}}</ref> Eight emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics from private emergency medical services (EMS) units were killed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.world-memorial.org/Tribute/EMS/medics.html|title=EMT & Paramedics|access-date=August 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203041213/http://www.world-memorial.org/Tribute/EMS/medics.html|archive-date=February 3, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Almost all of the emergency personnel who died at the scene that day were killed as a result of the towers collapsing, with the exception of one who was struck by a civilian falling from the upper floors of the South Tower.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/the-passionate-eye/september-11-2001-5-firsthand-stories-from-people-who-survived-1.6130622|title=September 11, 2001: 5 firsthand stories from people who survived|date=September 11, 2021|publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]|access-date=November 1, 2022|language=en|archive-date=March 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306234907/https://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/the-passionate-eye/september-11-2001-5-firsthand-stories-from-people-who-survived-1.6130622|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Cantor Fitzgerald]] L.P. (an investment bank on the North Tower's 101st–105th floors) lost 658 employees, considerably more than any other employer.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5282060.stm?lsf |title=Cantor rebuilds after 9/11 losses |publisher=BBC News |date=September 4, 2006 |access-date=September 2, 2011 |archive-date=April 6, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080406160843/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5282060.stm?lsf |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Marsh & McLennan Companies|Marsh Inc.]], located immediately below Cantor Fitzgerald on floors 93–100, lost 358 employees,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://memorial.mmc.com/|title=Marsh & McLennan Companies 9/11 Memorial|access-date=September 7, 2011|archive-date=August 18, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818143251/http://memorial.mmc.com/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mmc.com/about/history.php |title=Milestones of Marsh & McLennan Companies |access-date=September 7, 2011 |archive-date=April 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426233407/http://www.mmc.com/about/history.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> and 175 employees of [[Aon Corporation]] were also killed.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.investmentnews.com/article/20070911/REG/70911011 |title=Industry honors fallen on 9/11 anniversary |publisher=InvestmentNews |last=Siegel |first=Aaron |date=September 11, 2007 |access-date=September 2, 2011 |archive-date=November 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114124815/http://www.investmentnews.com/article/20070911/REG/70911011 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[National Institute of Standards and Technology]] (NIST) estimated that about 17,400 civilians were in the World Trade Center complex at the time of the attacks. Turnstile counts from the Port Authority suggest 14,154 people were typically in the Twin Towers by 8:45{{spaces}}a.m.{{sfnp|Averill|2005|loc="Occupant Behavior, Egress, and Emergency Communications"}}{{page needed|date=July 2019}}{{sfnp|Dwyer|Flynn|2005|p=266}} Most people below the impact zone safely evacuated the buildings.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/26/nyregion/102-minutes-last-words-at-the-trade-center-fighting-to-live-as-the-towers-die.html |title=Last Words at the Trade Center; Fighting to Live as the Towers Die |last1=Dwyer |first1=Jim |first2=Eric |last2=Lipton |first3=Kevin |last3=Flynn |first4=James |last4=Glanz |work=The New York Times |date=May 26, 2002 |access-date=September 2, 2011 |display-authors=etal |archive-date=September 12, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912025748/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/26/nyregion/102-minutes-last-words-at-the-trade-center-fighting-to-live-as-the-towers-die.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In [[Arlington County, Virginia]], 125 Pentagon workers died when Flight 77 crashed into the building's western side. 70 were civilians and 55 were military personnel, many of whom worked for the [[United States Army]] or the [[United States Navy]]. The Army lost 47 civilian employees; six civilian contractors; and 22 soldiers, while the Navy lost six civilian employees; three civilian contractors; and 33 sailors. Seven [[Defense Intelligence Agency]] (DIA) civilian employees died, and one [[Office of the Secretary of Defense]] (OSD) contractor.<ref name="national">{{cite web|title=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States|publisher=U.S. Congress|date=August 21, 2004|url=http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/index.htm|access-date=September 8, 2006|archive-date=September 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903025127/http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/index.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfnp|Goldberg et al.|2007|pp=208–12}}<ref>{{cite web |title=September 11, 2001 Pentagon Victims |url=http://www.patriotresource.com/wtc/victims/pentagon.html |publisher=Patriot Resource |access-date=March 18, 2016 |archive-date=June 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190625175936/http://www.patriotresource.com/wtc/victims/pentagon.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Lieutenant General]] [[Timothy Maude]], an Army Deputy Chief of Staff, was the highest-ranking military official killed at the Pentagon.<ref name="arlington">{{cite web|title=Remembering the Lost: Timothy J. Maude, Lieutenant General, United States Army|publisher=Arlington National Cemetery|date=September 22, 2001|url=http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/tjmaude.htm|access-date=April 16, 2001|archive-date=May 23, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523142334/http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/tjmaude.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Weeks after the attack, the death toll was estimated to be over 6,000, more than twice the number of deaths eventually confirmed.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2001/US/09/29/gen.america.under.attack/index.html |title=Source: Hijacking suspects linked to Afghanistan |publisher=CNN |date=September 30, 2001 |access-date=September 2, 2011 |archive-date=December 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225171616/http://edition.cnn.com/2001/US/09/29/gen.america.under.attack/index.html%20 |url-status=live }}</ref> The city was only able to identify remains for about 1,600 of the World Trade Center victims. The medical examiner's office collected "about 10,000 unidentified bone and tissue fragments that cannot be matched to the list of the dead".<ref name="CBS2">{{cite news |title=Ground Zero Forensic Work Ends |publisher=CBS News |date=February 23, 2005 |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/02/23/national/main675839.shtml |access-date=September 2, 2011 |archive-date=December 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225172509/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ground-zero-forensic-work-ends/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Bone fragments were still being found in 2006 by workers who were preparing to demolish the damaged [[Deutsche Bank Building]]. In 2010, a team of anthropologists and archaeologists searched for human remains and personal items at the [[Fresh Kills Landfill]], where 72 more human remains were recovered, bringing the total found to 1,845. DNA profiling continues in an attempt to identify additional victims.<ref>{{cite news |last=Andrade |first=Mariano |title=Scientists still struggle to identify 9/11 remains |url=http://news.discovery.com/human/psychology/world-trade-center-remains-110826.htm |agency=Agence France-Presse |date=August 25, 2011 |access-date=September 5, 2011 |work=[[Discovery News]] |archive-date=April 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403064003/http://news.discovery.com/human/psychology/world-trade-center-remains-110826.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/remains-wtc-worker-ernest-james-40-id-ten-years-9-11-article-1.945620 |title=Remains of WTC worker Ernest James, 40, ID'd ten years after 9/11 |last=Lemre |first=Jonathan |work=New York Daily News |date=August 24, 2011 |access-date=April 10, 2012 |archive-date=September 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120912163530/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/remains-wtc-worker-ernest-james-40-id-ten-years-9-11-article-1.945620 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="DNAContinue">{{cite news |first=Bobby |last=Cuza |title=9/11 A Decade Later: DNA Matching Efforts To Continue At WTC Site |date=June 11, 2011 |url=http://www.ny1.com/content/143516/9-11-a-decade-later--remains-from-wtc-tested-by-latest-dna-tech |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140920211012/http://www.ny1.com/content/143516/9-11-a-decade-later--remains-from-wtc-tested-by-latest-dna-tech |archive-date=September 20, 2014 |publisher=[[NY1]] |access-date=September 21, 2011}}</ref> The remains are being held in storage in Memorial Park, outside the New York City Medical Examiner's facilities. It was expected that the remains would be moved in 2013 to a repository behind a wall at the 9/11 museum.{{update inline|date=September 2021}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-05-19 |title=The Disturbed Tomb: Memorialization and Human Remains at the 9/11 Museum |url=https://paulmullins.wordpress.com/2014/05/19/the-disturbed-tomb-memorialization-and-human-remains-at-the-911-museum/ |access-date=2023-06-17 |website=Archaeology and Material Culture |language=en |archive-date=June 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230624200219/https://paulmullins.wordpress.com/2014/05/19/the-disturbed-tomb-memorialization-and-human-remains-at-the-911-museum/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In July 2011, a team of scientists at the Office of Chief Medical Examiner continued efforts to identify remains, in the hope that improved technology will allow them to identify other victims.<ref name="DNAContinue" /> In August 2017, the 1,641st victim was identified as a result of newly available DNA technology,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40855907|title=9/11 victim identified 16 years on|date=August 7, 2017|publisher=BBC News|access-date=December 7, 2023|archive-date=November 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129165713/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40855907|url-status=live}}</ref> and a 1,642nd during July 2018.<ref name="no1642">{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/september-11-2001-attacks-remains-victim-scott-michael-johnson-identified/|title="Finality": 9/11 victim's remains identified 17 years later|date=July 26, 2018|publisher=[[CBS News]]|access-date=December 7, 2023|archive-date=March 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324190315/https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/september-11-2001-attacks-remains-victim-scott-michael-johnson-identified/|url-status=live}}</ref> Three more victims were identified in October 2019,<ref>{{cite news |date=October 18, 2019 |title=New York 9/11 Victim Identified 18 Years After Attack |work=ABC WNEP-16 |url=https://www.wnep.com/article/news/new-york-9-11-victim-identified-18-years-after-attack/523-5d8a00b6-4e72-4d47-a5c1-a9d8f89ec82c |url-status=live |access-date=February 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808125056/https://www.wnep.com/article/news/new-york-9-11-victim-identified-18-years-after-attack/523-5d8a00b6-4e72-4d47-a5c1-a9d8f89ec82c |archive-date=August 8, 2020}}</ref> two in September 2021<ref name="2021-Sep">{{cite news |date=September 7, 2021 |title=2 new 9/11 victims identified through DNA testing, first new IDs since Oct. 2019 |url=https://www.audacy.com/wwjnewsradio/news/national/2-new-9-11-victims-identified-through-dna-testing-first-new-ids-since-oct-2019 |access-date=September 7, 2021 |archive-date=September 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908004755/https://www.audacy.com/wwjnewsradio/news/national/2-new-9-11-victims-identified-through-dna-testing-first-new-ids-since-oct-2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> and an additional two in September 2023.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Sottile |first=Kristina Sgueglia, Zoe |date=2023-09-08 |title=Two new 9/11 victims identified, the first identifications in two years |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/08/us/september-11-new-victim-identifications/index.html |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=October 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024141323/https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/08/us/september-11-new-victim-identifications/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> As of September 2023, 1,104 victims remain unidentified,<ref name=":0"/> amounting to 40% of the deaths in the World Trade Center attacks.<ref name="2021-Sep"/> On September 25, 2023, the FDNY reported that with the death of EMT Hilda Vannata and retired firefighter Robert Fulco, marking the 342nd and 343rd deaths from 9/11-related illnesses, the department had now lost the same number of firefighters, EMTs, and civilian members to 9/11-related illnesses as it did on the day of the attacks.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/fdny-loses-343rd-member-to-911-related-illness-as-many-as-died-on-day-of-attacks/|title=FDNY loses 343rd member to 9/11 related illness -- as many as died on day of attacks|publisher=[[CBS New York]]|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=September 25, 2023|access-date=September 25, 2023|archive-date=September 25, 2023|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230925140642/https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/fdny-loses-343rd-member-to-911-related-illness-as-many-as-died-on-day-of-attacks/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://abc7ny.com/fdny-death-toll-september-11-emt-911-related-illness/13824058/|title=FDNY lives lost from 9/11-related illnesses now matches death toll from the day|publisher=[[WABC-TV]]|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=September 25, 2023|access-date=September 25, 2023|archive-date=September 25, 2023|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230925140931/https://abc7ny.com/fdny-death-toll-september-11-emt-911-related-illness/13824058/}}</ref> === Damage === {{further|Collapse of the World Trade Center}} [[File:World Trade Center Site After 9-11 Attacks With Original Building Locations.jpg|thumb|The [[World Trade Center site]], called [[World Trade Center site|Ground Zero]], with an overlay showing the original buildings' locations]] Along with the 110-floor [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|Twin Towers]], numerous other buildings at the World Trade Center site were destroyed or badly damaged, including WTC buildings 3{{spaces}}through{{spaces}}7 and [[St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church]].<ref name="wtcstudy">{{cite web|url=http://www.fema.gov/rebuild/mat/wtcstudy.shtm |title=World Trade Center Building Performance Study |date=May 2002 |publisher=[[Federal Emergency Management Agency]] |access-date=September 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101016101226/http://www.fema.gov/rebuild/mat/wtcstudy.shtm |archive-date=October 16, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The North Tower, South Tower, the [[Marriott World Trade Center|Marriott Hotel (3{{spaces}}WTC)]], and 7{{spaces}}WTC were destroyed. The U.S. Customs House ([[6 World Trade Center]]), [[4 World Trade Center (1975–2001)|4{{spaces}}World Trade Center]], [[5 World Trade Center]], and both pedestrian bridges connecting buildings were severely damaged. The [[Deutsche Bank Building]] (still popularly referred to as the Bankers Trust Building) on 130 Liberty Street was partially damaged and demolished some years later, starting in 2007.<ref name="The Eleventh Day pp 75">Summers and Swan (2011), p. 75.</ref><ref name="130 Liberty Finally Gone from Ground Zero">{{cite news |first=Matt |last=Chaban |title=130 Liberty Finally Gone from Ground Zero |date=February 9, 2011 |url=http://www.commercialobserver.com/2011/02/130-liberty-finally-gone-from-ground-zero/ |work=[[The New York Observer]] |access-date=April 10, 2012 |archive-date=May 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511062921/http://commercialobserver.com/2011/02/130-liberty-finally-gone-from-ground-zero/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The two buildings of the [[Brookfield Place (New York City)|World Financial Center]] also suffered damage.<ref name="The Eleventh Day pp 75" /> The last fires at the World Trade Center site were extinguished on December 20, exactly 100 days after the attacks.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/dec/20/september11.usa |title=Ground Zero stops burning, after 100 days |website=The Guardian |date=December 20, 2001 |access-date=May 5, 2018 |archive-date=July 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180713032752/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/dec/20/september11.usa |url-status=live }}</ref> The Deutsche Bank Building across Liberty Street from the World Trade Center complex was later condemned as uninhabitable because of toxic conditions inside the office tower and was [[Deconstruction (building)|deconstructed]].<ref>''World Trade Center Building Performance Study{{snd}}Bankers Trust Building'', pp. {{page needed|date=September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Deutsche Bank Building at 130 Liberty Street|publisher=Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center|url=http://www.renewnyc.com/plan_des_dev/130Liberty/default.asp|access-date=September 2, 2011|archive-date=August 20, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110820043655/http://www.renewnyc.com/plan_des_dev/130Liberty/default.asp|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Borough of Manhattan Community College]]'s Fiterman Hall at 30 West Broadway was condemned due to extensive damage from the attacks, and then reopened in 2012.<ref>{{cite news |last=Shapiro |first=Julie |title=Students Return to Rebuilt Fiterman Hall 11 Years After 9/11 |url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20120827/financial-district/students-return-rebuilt-fiterman-hall-11-years-after-911 |url-status=dead |website=DNAinfo New York |date=August 27, 2012 |access-date=October 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171027125835/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20120827/financial-district/students-return-rebuilt-fiterman-hall-11-years-after-911 |archive-date=October 27, 2017 }}</ref> Other neighbouring buildings (including [[90 West Street]] and the [[Barclay–Vesey Building|Verizon Building]]) suffered major damage but have been restored.<ref name="nyconstruction">{{cite web |title=Verizon Building Restoration |url=http://newyork.construction.com/projects/TopProjects04/Verizon.asp |url-status=live |publisher=New York Construction (McGraw Hill) |access-date=September 2, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511183933/http://newyork.construction.com/projects/TopProjects04/Verizon.asp |archive-date=May 11, 2011}}</ref> [[Brookfield Place (New York City)|World Financial Center]] buildings, [[One Liberty Plaza]], the [[Millenium Hilton]], and 90 Church Street had moderate damage and have since been restored.<ref>''World Trade Center Building Performance Study{{snd}}Peripheral Buildings'', pp. {{page needed|date=September 2020}}</ref> Communications equipment on top of the North Tower was also destroyed, with only [[WCBS-TV]] maintaining a backup transmitter on the [[Empire State Building]], but media stations were quickly able to reroute the signals and resume their broadcasts.<ref name="wtcstudy" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Bloomfield |first=Larry |url=http://sysdesignshowcase.broadcastengineering.com/ar/broadcasting_new_york_broadcasters |title=New York broadcasters rebuild |publisher=Broadcast Engineering |date=October 1, 2001 |access-date=September 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080604040210/http://sysdesignshowcase.broadcastengineering.com/ar/broadcasting_new_york_broadcasters |archive-date=June 4, 2008}}</ref>[[File:Aerial view of the Pentagon during rescue operations post-September 11 attack.JPEG|thumb|A September 14 aerial view of [[the Pentagon]] during cleanup operations]]The [[PATH (rail system)|PATH]] train system's [[World Trade Center station (PATH)|World Trade Center station]] was located under the complex. As a result, the station was demolished when the towers collapsed, and the tunnels leading to [[Exchange Place station (PATH)|Exchange Place station]] in [[Jersey City, New Jersey]], were flooded with water.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.panynj.gov/drp/wtcpath/pathinfo.php|title=Downtown Restoration Program |publisher=The Port Authority of NY&NJ|date=January 11, 2009|access-date=February 7, 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090111002148/http://www.panynj.gov/drp/wtcpath/pathinfo.php|archive-date=January 11, 2009}}</ref> The station was rebuilt as the $4{{spaces}}billion [[World Trade Center Transportation Hub]], which reopened in March 2015.<ref>{{cite news |title=World Trade Center transportation hub, dubbed Oculus, opens to public |publisher=[[WABC-TV]] |date=March 3, 2016 |url=http://abc7ny.com/1229181/ |access-date=July 8, 2018 |archive-date=July 8, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708162414/http://abc7ny.com/1229181/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.panynj.gov/press-room/press-item.cfm?headLine_id=2353|title=Port Authority Announces Opening of World Trade Center Transportation Hub|date=January 19, 2016|publisher=Port Authority of New York and New Jersey|access-date=January 29, 2016|archive-date=February 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203034610/http://www.panynj.gov/press-room/press-item.cfm?headLine_id=2353|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[WTC Cortlandt station|Cortlandt Street station]] on the [[New York City Subway]]'s [[IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line]] was also in close proximity to the World Trade Center complex, and the entire station, along with the surrounding track, was reduced to rubble.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/04/nyregion/subway-line-in-attack-may-reopen-much-earlier.html|title=Subway Line in Attack May Reopen Much Earlier|last=Kennedy|first=Randy|date=January 4, 2002|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 7, 2018|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140423024227/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/04/nyregion/subway-line-in-attack-may-reopen-much-earlier.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The latter station was rebuilt and reopened to the public on September 8, 2018.<ref>{{cite news |title=WTC Cortlandt Subway Station Reopens for 1st Time Since 9/11 Attacks |url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/WTC-Cortlandt-Subway-Station-Reopens-for-1st-Time-Since-9-11-Attacks-492777501.html |access-date=September 8, 2018 |publisher=[[WNBC-TV]] |agency=Associated Press |date=September 8, 2018 |archive-date=September 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180909111234/https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/WTC-Cortlandt-Subway-Station-Reopens-for-1st-Time-Since-9-11-Attacks-492777501.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Pentagon was extensively damaged by the impact of American Airlines Flight 77 and the ensuing fires, causing one section of the building to collapse.<ref>''The Pentagon Building Performance Report'', pp. ??{{page needed|date=September 2020}}</ref> As the aeroplane approached the Pentagon, its wings knocked down light poles and its right engine hit a power generator before crashing into the western side of the building.<ref>''Flight Path Study – American Airlines Flight 77'', pp. {{page needed|date=September 2020}}</ref><ref name="fdr">''American Airlines Flight 77 FDR Report'', pp. ??{{page needed|date=September 2020}}</ref> The plane hit the Pentagon at the first-floor level. The front part of the fuselage disintegrated on impact, while the mid and tail sections kept moving for another fraction of a second.{{sfnp|Goldberg et al.|2007|p=17}} Debris from the tail section penetrated the furthest into the building, breaking through {{convert|310|ft|m|0}} of the three outermost of the building's five rings.{{sfnp|Goldberg et al.|2007|p=17}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Maclean |first=John N |title=America Under Attack: A chronicle of chaos and heroism at the Pentagon |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/29/AR2008052903149.html |date=June 1, 2008 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=September 3, 2011 |archive-date=December 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218104155/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/29/AR2008052903149.html |url-status=live }}</ref> === Rescue efforts === {{Main|Rescue and recovery effort after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center}} {{See also|List of emergency and first responder agencies that responded to the September 11 attacks}} [[File:USACE Patrol Boat Hocking heads toward lower Manhattan on 9-11.jpg|thumb|Patrol Boat Hocking of the [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]] on its way to assist the site on September 11, 2001.]] The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) deployed more than 200 units (approximately half of the department) to the World Trade Center.<ref name="mckinsey-exec"/> Their efforts were supplemented by numerous off-duty firefighters and [[emergency medical technician]]s.<ref name="mckinsey-ems">''McKinsey Report'', pp. 43–54, "Emergency Medical Service response on September 11"</ref><ref name="mckinsey-exec">''McKinsey Report'', pp. 5–22, "Executive Summary"</ref><ref>''McKinsey Report'', pp. ??{{page needed|date=September 2020}}Exhibit 7, "Fire Apparatus Deployment on September 11"</ref> The New York City Police Department (NYPD) sent its [[New York City Police Department Emergency Service Unit|Emergency Service Units]] and other police personnel and deployed its aviation unit.<ref>''9/11 Commission Report'' (2004), pp. 291–292</ref> The NYPD aviation unit assessed the situation and decided that helicopter rescues from the towers were not feasible.<ref>''9/11 Commission Report'' (2004), pp. 286, 291–292</ref> Numerous police officers of the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD) also participated in rescue efforts.<ref>''9/11 Commission Report'' (2004), pp. 292–293.</ref> Once on the scene, the FDNY, the NYPD, and the PAPD did not coordinate efforts and performed redundant searches for civilians.<ref name="mckinsey-ems" />{{sfnp|Alavosius|Rodriquez|2005|pp=666–80}} As conditions deteriorated, the NYPD aviation unit relayed information to police commanders, who issued orders for personnel to evacuate the towers; most NYPD officers were able to safely evacuate before the buildings collapsed.{{sfnp|Alavosius|Rodriquez|2005|pp=666–80}}<ref name="mckinsey-nypd">''McKinsey Report'', "NYPD", pp. ??{{page needed|date=September 2020}}</ref> With separate command posts set up and incompatible radio communications between the agencies, warnings were not passed along to FDNY commanders.<ref>''McKinsey Report'', pp. 7–9, 38</ref> After the first tower collapsed, FDNY commanders issued evacuation warnings. Due to [[Radio communications during the September 11 attacks|technical difficulties]] with malfunctioning radio repeater systems, many firefighters never heard the evacuation orders. 9-1-1 dispatchers also received information from callers that was not passed along to commanders on the scene.<ref name="mckinsey-exec" /> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page