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The ABC 7news broadcast describes an eyewitness's account of Flight 77's approaching of the Pentagon, stating,
"It was an American Airlines' plane, he could see the number on the plane, he could almost see the passengers inside as it went along the highway started clipping off the ah high wires and the different light poles along the highway and slammed directly into the side of the pentagon" |
At 8:30 a.m. the plane left Dulles International Airport for Los Angeles. Only twenty minutes later transmissions were cut and the flight was going in the wrong direction. No signs of a struggle had been revealed until then, in fact the last radio communication from the pilot was,
"ah direct Falmouth American seventy seven thanks"
Between 8:55 and 9:38 Flight 77 did somewhat of a loop in flying pattern, after rapidly approaching D.C., the plane turned around, also within the time frame the plane traveled 31.5 miles and dropped 2,000 feet in a matter of only 5 minutes. Somehow after two buildings had been struck down by hijacked planes within the past hour Flight 77 was not struck down in the most heavily protected area in the country. As chaos was erupting within the passengers, Barbara Olsen called her husband, US Solicitor General Ted Olson. She remained composed as she explained that there were terrorists on board her flight who were using knives and boxcutters as weaponry and hijacking the vehicle. Continuing, Olsen told her husband that the men taking over the plane had forced her and the rest of the passengers and crew members to the back of the plane. She plead for advice saying,
''Ted, what can I do? What can I tell the pilot?''
Her call was cut-off before the General could answer her questions.
Right before impact a Minnesota National Guard C-130 coming from Andrews Air Force Base began to follow Flight 77 and the pilot of the C-130 gave this annal:
"It was like coming up to an intersection. When air traffic control asked me if we had him in sight, I told him that was an understatement - by then, he had pretty much filled our windscreen. Then he made a pretty aggressive turn so he was moving right in front of us, a mile and a half, two miles away.
...
They told us to turn and follow that aircraft - in 20-plus years of flying, I've never been asked to do something like that. With all of the East Coast haze, I had a hard time picking him out.
The next thing I saw was the fireball. It was huge. I told Washington the airplane has impacted the ground. Shook everyone up pretty good. I told them the approximate location was close to the Potomac. I figured he'd had some in-flight emergency and was trying to get back on the ground to Washington National. Suddenly, I could see the outline of the Pentagon. It was horrible. I told Washington this thing has impacted the west side of the Pentagon"