'We Have Some Planes,' Hijacker Told Controller
Tuesday October 16 06:06 AM EDT
'We Have Some Planes,' Hijacker Told Controller
By MATTHEW L. WALD with KEVIN SACK The New York Times
Transcripts of the communications between pilots and controllers capture the dawning awareness of the terror in
cockpits and control centers.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 American Airlines Flight 11 had fallen mysteriously silent. The air traffic
controller called over and over for a response. None came. Then he heard an unidentified voice
from the cockpit: "We have some planes. Just stay quiet, and you'll be O.K. We are returning to
the airport."
The controller, confused, asked, "Who's trying to call me?"
No response. Then he heard the voice again: "Nobody move please; we are going back to the
airport. Don't try to make any stupid moves."
The man was transmitting on the frequency monitored by pilots and air traffic controllers, either
because he thought he was talking to the passengers or because one of the crew had activated the
radio microphone, and his voice was the first hint of the horror of Sept. 11.
Transcripts of the communications between pilots and controllers, obtained by The New York
Times, reveal the dawning awareness of the terror in cockpits and control centers. Together with
interviews and other documents, they offer a previously unseen view of how, moment by moment, a bell-clear and routine
morning turned to confusion and then to horror.
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