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American Airlines Flight 77
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==Crash== [[File:Pentagon Security Camera 1.ogv|thumb|right|thumbtime=91|alt=Security footage of Flight 77 hitting the Pentagon at one minute, 27 seconds|[[Security camera]] footage of Flight{{spaces}}77 hitting the Pentagon. Impact is at 01:27.<ref name="jw">{{cite web |url=http://www.judicialwatch.org/flight77.shtml |title=Flight 77, Video 2 |publisher=Judicial Watch |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212100831/http://www.judicialwatch.org/archive/2006/flight77-2.mpg |archive-date=February 12, 2009}}</ref>]] {{quote box|align=right|width=25%|quote="The speed, the maneuverability, the way that he turned, we all thought in the radar room, all of us experienced air traffic controllers, that that was a military plane. You don't fly a 757 in that manner. It's unsafe."|source= βDanielle O'Brien, air traffic controller at Dulles International Airport<ref>{{cite web |title=Air Traffic Controllers Recall 9/11 |url=https://abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=123822&page=1 |date=October 24, 2001 |work=[[20/20 (U.S. TV series)|20/20]] |publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |access-date=June 5, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929181230/https://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=123822&page=1 |archive-date=September 29, 2013}}</ref> }} At 9:29 a.m., one minute after Flight 93 was hijacked, the terrorists aboard Flight 77 disengaged the autopilot and took manual control of the plane.<ref name=":0" /> Turning and descending rapidly as it made its final approach toward Washington, the airplane was detected again on radar screens by controllers at Dulles, who mistook it for a military fighter at first glance due to its high speed and maneuvering.<ref name="Wash2">{{cite news |last=Fisher |first=Marc |author2=Phillips, Don |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' |date=September 12, 2001 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=June 1, 2008 |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/ |archive-date=January 11, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> While Flight{{spaces}}77 was {{convert|5|mi|km}} west-southwest of [[the Pentagon]] in [[Arlington County, Virginia]], it made a 330-degree spiral turn clockwise. By the end of the revolution, the 757 was descending {{convert|2200|ft|m}}, pointed toward the Pentagon and downtown Washington. Advancing the throttles to full power, Hanjour rapidly began diving toward his target.<ref>{{cite book |title=9/11 Commission Report |publisher=Government Printing Office |year=2004 |author=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States |chapter=Chapter 1 |url=http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm |page=27}}</ref> The wings clipped five street lights as the plane flew level above the ground, while the right wing in particular struck a portable [[electric generator|generator]], creating a smoke trail seconds before smashing into the Pentagon.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nbc4.com/news/8988021/detail.html |title=9/11 Survivor Wants Life For Moussaoui |date=April 25, 2006 |publisher=[[WRC-TV]] |access-date=June 2, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081009125250/http://www.nbc4.com/news/8988021/detail.html |archive-date=October 9, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Curiel |first=Jonathan |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/03/INGR0KRCBA1.DTL |title=The Conspiracy to Rewrite 9/11 |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=September 3, 2006 |access-date=June 2, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080519053919/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2006%2F09%2F03%2FINGR0KRCBA1.DTL |archive-date=May 19, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> Flying at a speed of {{convert|530|mph|km/h m/s kn}} over the [[Navy Annex]] Building adjacent to [[Arlington National Cemetery]],<ref>Goldberg et al., p. 14.</ref> Flight{{spaces}}77 crashed into the Pentagon's western flank at 09:37:46.<ref name="fdr">{{cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/info/AAL77_fdr.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926220623/https://www.ntsb.gov/info/AAL77_fdr.pdf |archive-date=September 26, 2007 |title=American Airlines Flight 77 FDR Report |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |date=January 31, 2002 |access-date=June 2, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> The plane struck the establishment at the first-floor level<ref name="Pent17">{{cite book |last=Goldberg |first=Alfred |title=Pentagon 9/11 |year=2007 |publisher=[[United States Government Printing Office]] |location=Washington, D.C. |page=[https://archive.org/details/pentagon911alfre00wash/page/17 17] |isbn=978-0160783289 |display-authors=etal |url=https://archive.org/details/pentagon911alfre00wash/page/17}}</ref> and was rolled slightly to the left, with the right wing elevated as it crashed.<ref name="PentPerf">{{cite book |last=Mlakar |first=Paul F. |author2=Dusenberry, Donald O. |author3=Harris, James R. |author4=Haynes, Gerald |author5=Phan, Long T. |author6=Sozen, Mete A. |url=http://fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/build03/PDF/b03017.pdf |title=The Pentagon Building Performance Report |publisher=[[American Society of Civil Engineers]] |date=January 2003 |access-date=June 19, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080624212810/http://www.fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/build03/PDF/b03017.pdf |archive-date=June 24, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> The front part of the [[fuselage]] immediately disintegrated upon impact, while the mid and tail sections continued moving for another fraction of a second, with tail section debris penetrating farthest into the building.<ref name="Pent17" /> In total, the aircraft took eight-tenths of a second to pass {{convert|310|ft|m|0}} through the three outermost of the structure's five rings<ref name="washingtonpost-america-under-attack">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/29/AR2008052903149.html |title=America Under Attack |author=John N. Maclean |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=August 1, 2008 |access-date=February 8, 2015 |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> and unleashed a fireball that rose {{convert|200|ft|m|0}} above the building.<ref name="Pent17" /> The 64 people aboard the flight were killed instantly, while a further 125 people in the Pentagon were either killed outright or fatally injured. In the minutes leading up to the crash, Reagan Airport controllers had asked a passing [[Air National Guard]] [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules]] to identify and follow the aircraft. The pilot, Lieutenant Colonel [[Steven O'Brien (pilot)|Steven O'Brien]], told them he believed it was either a Boeing{{spaces}}757 or 767, observing that its silver fuselage meant it was most likely an American Airlines jet. O'Brien mentioned having difficulty picking out the airplane in the "East Coast haze", but moments later reported seeing a "huge" fireball. His initial assumption as he approached the crash site was that the plane had simply hit the ground, but upon closer inspection he saw the damage done to the Pentagon's west side and relayed to Reagan control, "Looks like that aircraft crashed into the Pentagon, sir."<ref name="911-ch1" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Schmitt |first=Eric |author2=Lichtblau, Eric |title=To the Minute, Panel Paints a Grim Portrait of Day's Terror |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/18/politics/18minutes.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5007&en=c6fa52b1957732f6&ex=1402977600&partner=USERLAND |date=June 18, 2004 |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 1, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140409203540/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/18/politics/18minutes.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5007&en=c6fa52b1957732f6&ex=1402977600&partner=USERLAND |archive-date=April 9, 2014}}</ref> [[File:Flight 77 wreckage at Pentagon.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Refer to caption|Debris from Flight{{spaces}}77 scattered near the Pentagon]] At the time of the attacks, approximately 18,000 people worked in the Pentagon, 4,000 fewer than before renovations began in 1998.<ref>Goldberg et al., p. 3.</ref> The section of the Pentagon that was struck, which [[Pentagon Renovation Program|had recently been renovated]] at a cost of $250{{spaces}}million (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=250000000|start_year=1998}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}),<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/flash/metro/phoenix/phoenix.swf |title=Phoenix Rising: The Rebuilding of the Pentagon |format=Flash |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=June 2, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409092654/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/flash/metro/phoenix/phoenix.swf |archive-date=April 9, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> housed the Naval Command Center.<ref>{{cite news |last=Zablotsky |first=Sarah |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/neigh_south/20030611s19kevin0611p6.asp |title=Survivor of Pentagon attack has a positive attitude |work=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]] |date=June 11, 2003 |access-date=June 2, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111205201743/http://www.post-gazette.com/neigh_south/20030611s19kevin0611p6.asp |archive-date=December 5, 2011}}</ref> [[File:Pentagon fire AFIP.jpg|right|thumb|upright|alt=Refer to caption|A fire at the Pentagon, with police and EMS in the foreground]] The fatalities in the Pentagon included 55 [[military personnel]] and 70 civilians.<ref name="usatoday30-atoday-survivors-ais">{{cite web |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/sept11/2002-08-20-pentagon_x.htm |title=Military's aid and comfort ease 9/11 survivors' burden |author=Andrea Stone |work=USA Today |date=August 20, 2002 |access-date=February 8, 2015 |archive-date=March 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150311101856/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/sept11/2002-08-20-pentagon_x.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> Of those 125 killed, 92 were on the first floor, 31 were on the second floor, and two were on the third.<ref name="PENTGH">Goldberg et al., pp. 23β24.</ref> Seven [[Defense Intelligence Agency]] civilian employees were killed while the [[Office of the Secretary of Defense]] lost one contractor. The [[U.S. Army]] suffered 75 fatalities{{snd}}53 civilians (47 employees and six contractors) and 22 soldiers{{snd}}while the [[U.S. Navy]] suffered 42 fatalities{{snd}}nine civilians (six employees and three contractors) and 33 sailors.<ref>Goldberg, Alfred, ''Pentagon 9/11'', pp. 208β212.</ref> Lieutenant General [[Timothy Maude]], an Army deputy chief of staff, was the highest-ranking military officer killed at the Pentagon; also killed was retired [[Rear Admiral]] [[Wilson Flagg]], a passenger on the plane.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.hqusareur.army.mil/htmlinks/Press_Releases/2002/Apr2002/30Apr2002-02.htm |title=Sept. 11 fallen warrior memorialized in building dedication |publisher=[[United States Army]] |date=April 30, 2002 |access-date=June 10, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100103080033/http://www.hqusareur.army.mil/htmlinks/Press_Releases/2002/Apr2002/30Apr2002-02.htm |archive-date=January 3, 2010}}</ref> LT [[Mari-Rae Sopper]], JAGC, USNR, was also on board the flight, and was the first [[Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy|Navy Judge Advocate]] ever to be killed in action.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mari-rae.net/9112001.html |title=Mari-Rae Sopper: 9112001 |publisher=Mari-rae.net |access-date=April 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130805001925/http://www.mari-rae.net/9112001.html |archive-date=August 5, 2013}}</ref> Another 106 were injured on the ground and were treated at area hospitals.<ref name="PENTGH" /> {{quote box|align=right|width=25%|quote="I don't want to alarm anybody right now, but apparently{{snd}}it felt just a few moments ago like there was an explosion of some kind here at the Pentagon."|source= β[[Jim Miklaszewski]], [[NBC]] Pentagon correspondent reporting from inside the Pentagon at 09:39<ref>{{cite web |title='Hardball with Chris Matthews' for May 16 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna12834927 |date=May 16, 2006 |work=[[Hardball with Chris Matthews]] |publisher=[[NBC News]] |access-date=May 30, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140530020945/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/12834927/ |archive-date=May 30, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>}} On the side where the plane hit, the Pentagon is bordered by [[Interstate 395 (District of Columbia-Virginia)|Interstate 395]] and Washington Boulevard. Motorist Mary Lyman, who was on I-395, saw the airplane pass over at a "steep angle toward the ground and going fast" and then saw the cloud of smoke from the Pentagon.<ref name="Wash3">{{cite news |title=Terrible Tuesday |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=September 16, 2001}}</ref> Omar Campo, another witness, was on the other side of the road: {{blockquote|1=I was cutting the grass and it came in screaming over my head. I felt the impact. The whole ground shook and the whole area was full of fire. I could never imagine I would see anything like that here.<ref name="Guard">{{cite news |title='Everyone was screaming, crying, running. It's like a war zone' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/sep/12/expertopinions.charlieporteronmensfashion |date=September 12, 2001 |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=June 19, 2008 |location=London |first=Julian |last=Borger |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516185757/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/sep/12/expertopinions.charlieporteronmensfashion |archive-date=May 16, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>}} Afework Hagos, a computer programmer, was on his way to work and stuck in a traffic jam near the Pentagon when the airplane flew over. "There was a huge screaming noise and I got out of the car as the plane came over. Everybody was running away in different directions. It was tilting its wings up and down like it was trying to balance. It hit some lampposts on the way in."<ref name="Guard" /> Daryl Donley witnessed the crash and took some of the first photographs of the site.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/911/911-docphotos.html |title=Documentary Photographs |publisher=Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division |access-date=November 12, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061111205708/http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/911/911-docphotos.html |archive-date=November 11, 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[File:Aerial view of the Pentagon during rescue operations post-September 11 attack.JPEG|thumb|left|alt=Refer to caption|Aerial view of the collapsed area and subsequent fire damage]] ''[[USA Today]]'' reporter Mike Walter was driving on Washington Boulevard when he witnessed the crash: {{blockquote|1=I looked out my window and I saw this plane, this jet, an American Airlines jet, coming. And I thought, 'This doesn't add up, it's really low.' And I saw it. I mean it was like a cruise missile with wings. It went right there and slammed right into the Pentagon.<ref>{{cite news |last=Anderson |first=Porter |url=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/CAREER/trends/09/11/witnesses/ |title=Witnesses to the moment: Workers' voices |work=CNN |date=September 11, 2001 |access-date=June 10, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090630075834/http://archives.cnn.com/2001/CAREER/trends/09/11/witnesses/ |archive-date=June 30, 2009}}</ref>}} Terrance Kean, who lived in a nearby apartment building, heard the noise of loud jet engines, glanced out his window, and saw a "very, very large passenger jet". While he watched, "it just plowed right into the side of the Pentagon. The nose penetrated into the portico. And then it sort of disappeared, and there was fire and smoke everywhere."<ref>{{cite news |last=Sheridan |first=Mary B |title=Loud Boom, Then Flames In Hallways; Pentagon Employees Flee Fire, Help Rescue Injured Co-Workers |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2001/09/12/AR2005033108366_2.html |access-date=October 12, 2018 |date=September 12, 2001 |newspaper=The Washington Post |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012214445/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2001/09/12/AR2005033108366_2.html |archive-date=October 12, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Tim Timmerman, who is a pilot himself, noticed American Airlines markings on the aircraft as he saw it hit the Pentagon.<ref>{{cite news |title=Transcripts β America Under Attack: Eyewitness Discusses Pentagon Plane Crash |url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0109/11/bn.32.html |work=CNN |date=September 11, 2001 |access-date=June 10, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130319180218/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0109/11/bn.32.html |archive-date=March 19, 2013}}</ref> Other drivers on Washington Boulevard, Interstate 395, and [[Columbia Pike (Virginia)|Columbia Pike]] witnessed the crash, as did people in [[Pentagon City, Arlington, Virginia|Pentagon City]], [[Crystal City, Virginia|Crystal City]], and other nearby locations.<ref name="Wash3"/>
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