A new report reveals that a TWA pilot took evasive action on September 11, 2001, narrowly avoiding a collision with one of the hijacked planes that crashed into the World Trade Center.
The pilot, identified only as "George," is seen in a resurfaced video interview with ABC News, discussing the harrowing experience.
According to the New York Post, a flight attendant who was on the crew of TWA Flight 3 confirmed that the pilot had to take evasive action twice before safely landing. The first maneuver was to avoid colliding with United Flight 175, which ultimately struck the World Trade Center. The second maneuver was to steer clear of Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania.
In the video interview, ABC News correspondent Dean Reynolds asks the pilot, "You dodged one of the aircraft that hit the tower?" The pilot responds, "Yeah. Well, he was up there when we were coming from New York. So what we had to do was they (flight control) were not talking to him, and he was changing his heading and his altitude, so they cleared us to deviate; however we had to stay away from him."
The pilot goes on to explain, "We had him in sight it was a nice day in New York. We were out of the clouds, which helped a lot. We just, you know, dodged him."
Passengers on the flight also recall the terrifying near-miss. One passenger tells the news outlet, "I thought we were going to crash. I thought the plane was going to crash." The passenger describes how the plane was shaking after the near-collision, which occurred shortly after takeoff.
Passengers could see the World Trade Center on fire from the hijacked plane crashing into it, adding to the fear and chaos onboard.
The TWA Boeing 767 departed from John F. Kennedy International Airport, just 14 miles from the World Trade Center. American Airlines Flight 11, the first hijacked plane, crashed into the North Tower at 8:46 a.m.
After learning about the second plane, United Airlines Flight 175, crashing into the South Tower, TWA flight attendants took precautions to guard against a possible hijacking. They reportedly pushed food carts up against the cockpit door, and the pilot even warned the crew that he would be standing behind the door with an ax.
As the situation unfolded, the pilot made a chilling announcement over the plane's speakers: "This is a national emergency. By order of the federal government, any plane still in the sky in 20 minutes will be shot down by friendly fire."
The TWA flight, originally bound for St. Louis, was rerouted to Dayton, Ohio, following the terrorist attacks. Retired FDNY Lt. Charlie Hubbard, who was on the flight, recently shared his recollection of the experience on social media. He tweeted, "About twenty to thirty minutes later, we nearly had a mid-air collision with one of the hijacked planes. After the frightening, dramatic maneuver our flight crew executed to avoid the other aircraft, we were grounded in Dayton, OH."
According to the flight attendant, the TWA plane had a second near-collision with another hijacked plane, Flight 93. The crew member reveals that the TWA plane missed the tail of United Airlines Flight 93 by just 500 feet.
Flight 93, which departed from Newark International Airport, was intended to be crashed into a government building in Washington, D.C. However, courageous passengers on board foiled the terrorists' plan, and the plane ultimately crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The resurfaced video and firsthand accounts from passengers and crew members serve as a chilling reminder of the heroism and close calls that occurred on that fateful day. The TWA pilot's quick thinking and evasive action undoubtedly saved the lives of those on board Flight 3.
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