US Air Force escorts last planes

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Grassroots Information Coordination Center (GICC) : One Thread

US Air Force escorts last planes By Jennifer Waters, CBS.MarketWatch.com Last Update: 3:32 PM ET Sept. 11, 2001

CHICAGO (CBS.MW) - The U.S. Air Force was escorting the last four planes still airborne at midday Tuesday as the nation was gripped by the largest and most horrifying terrorist attack in history.

All flights throughout the country were grounded Tuesday in an unprecedented nationwide action. See related story on terrorist strikes.

The Federal Aviation Administration said that the ground stop would remain in effect "indefinitely." The halt went into effect at 9:25 a.m. Eastern, only minutes after the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan.

FRONT PAGE NEWS NYC's World Trade Center struck International markets tumble as U.S. attacked Washington under attack Treasurys soared after attacks; U.S. trade closed Market news and more! Sign up to receive FREE email newsletters Get the latest news 24 hours a day from our 100-person news team. One of the four planes was guided to an uneventful landing outside San Francisco, according to KCBS radio there. Three more were under watch by the Air Force.

It is unclear to which airlines the planes belonged.

American, Continental, Southwest, AirTran, Sun Country and Alaska Air reported that all their planes had been accounted for.

It appears that an American flight first crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center, and 18 minutes later a United Airlines hit the south tower.

At 11:21 a.m. Eastern, United Airlines confirmed that a plane that crashed near Pittsburgh was one of its own, originating in Newark, N.J., and bound for San Francisco.

About 20 minutes later, United confirmed that United Flight 175 from Boston to Los Angeles also had gone down. The airline did not say where the plane plunged, but said that the last radar contact with it was between Newark and Philadelphia. The plane carried 56 passengers and two pilots and seven crew members.

United has sent a team of rescue workers to Johnstown, Pa., the site where its first plane crash.

Though the airline could not confirm that Flight 175 was the second plane to crash into the World Trade Center, the carrier said that "based on information received from authorities," it was dispatching an employee team to New York City.

American Airlines (AMR: news, chart, profile) confirmed that it "lost two aircraft." Those were Flight 11, a Boeing 767 from Boston to Los Angeles, with 81 passengers, nine flight attendants and two pilots on board. The other was Flight 77, a Boeing 757 en route from Washington Dulles to Los Angeles, with 58 passengers, four flight attendants and two pilots aboard. It's believed that Flight 11 was the first to crash into the World Trade Center.

In Boston, Joseph Lawless, director of public safety for the Massachusetts Port Authority said that he didn't know if the planes that left Logan Airport had been hijacked, but said the two that hit the buildings were American and United's planes.

"Based on the information we have now, these planes were involved in the World Trade Center incident," Lawless said at a press conference.

United takes global action

United Airlines has grounded all flights worldwide and said it "is working with all of the relevant authorities."

"United has mobilized all of our resources to work with the authorities, including the FBI, and other government agencies," UAL (UAL: news, chart, profile) Chief Executive James Goodwin said.

"Today's events are a tragedy, and our prayers are with everyone at this time," Goodwin said.

American airline said it too was working "closely with U.S. government authorities." It would not release any further information.

"We are horrified," said AMR Chief Executive Donald Carty.

Both airlines referred all calls to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Passenger information for American is available at (800) 245-0999; for United, the number is (800) 932-8555.

Officials at Boeing were not immediately available for comment.

Air Canada (ACNAF: news, chart, profile) grounded all flights in Canada and destined for U.S. airports. Transport Canada has grounded all other flights in Canada as well, though Canada is still accepting diverted U.S. flights.

Airports not evacuated

Airports in most major cities were evacuated. Smaller ones, however, were not, but ground staff urged passengers to leave.

All transportation in and out of New York City came to a standstill.

Boston's Logan Airport - from which two of the four crashed planes were hijacked - was among those totally cleared.

Airport officials would not comment about whether security had been stepped up in recent days or whether there was any warning about the hijackings.

""I believe Logan Airport is as secure as any airport in the country" Joseph Lawless, director of public safety for the Massachusetts Port Authority.

O'Hare Airport in Chicago was visibly on heightened security alert, with stepped-up police foot patrols and canine units. All cars parked near the facilities' curbs were being towed. Only ticketed travelers were allowed past security checkpoints.

However, there were no plans to close the world's busiest airport, said Monique Bond, a spokeswoman for Chicago's Department of Aviation.

"There are still people here," Bond said. "They're not panicked. They understand what's going on."

At the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, a Korean 747 jetliner landed in what an airport spokesman described as "a very unusual event."

"I don't think there's even a good guess about what to do," said Tim Anderson, deputy executive direction for the Minnesota Airport Commission.

As at most airports throughout the country, the mood at the Minneapolis airport was one of stunned nervousness and sorrow.

"There's a lot of trepidation for copycat opportunities," Anderson said. "We're telling people to be more watchful."

Denver International Airport closed down, and spokesman Chuck Cannon said it would be shut for at least 24 hours. He was unaware of any threats made on the facility.

Los Angeles International Airport closed as well. "It seemed to be fairly orderly. They told people to leave the terminals," said Doug Jaffe, a public-relations consultant for LAX.

The Burbank Airport, also in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, said it had accepted only one diverted Southwest flight. Most passengers immediately left the building.

Meanwhile, Amtrak halted all trains in its northeast corridor. That heavily traveled route runs from Washington north to Boston via New York, Philadelphia and Providence, R.I.

Greyhound (LDWIF: news, chart, profile) also ceased scheduled operations in New York, Washington, D.C., and the northeast line from Cleveland to Columbus to Charleston to Richmond to Norfolk, according to its Web site. Terminals within a one-mile radius of Federal buildings in other cities will be closed, with traffic redirected to other locations.

http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B161767B4%2DE9DA%2D46BE%2DA98F%2DF83661089544%7D&siteid=mktw

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), September 11, 2001


Moderation questions? read the FAQ