American Airlines Flight 587 is a crash that happened in the same year as the terrible September 11th Attacks (9/11). This event caused Americans all around the country to panic. The question in every American’s mind was “Is this 9/11 all over again”.
In the Morning of the 12th of November 2001, the passengers started to board the Boomed flight in Queens, New York. 9/11 is fresh in the Mind of every American. Most people are not flying anymore. The flight to San Domingo will approximately take 3 and a half hours. The Captain of the plane was 42 year-old Edward States and 34 year-old Sten Molin.
On this flight 251 passengers will be on the Airbus A300. At around 7:00AM in the sun of New York, the two pilots start to do some pre-flight checks. Before each passenger can get on the plane, they have to be checked twice because of the attacks just 2 months earlier.
The scheduled take-off time of 8:40 cripples down to 9:00 when every single passenger was on board. They start to thrust down the runway 31L, the same runway were JAL flight 47 reported turbulence on. This information from the Japanese plane was given to the American Plane.
At 9:14 the plane lifts of from the ground. At 9:15 the plane starts to shake. The captains thought this turbulence came from the Jumbo Japanese jet in front. So he put the speed to 250 Knots, the fastest at that height you can go.
A few seconds later the plane hits more turbulence. Sten Molin tries to steady the plane by moving the rudder left and right. Molin asks for more power again. Molin moves the Rudder again then makes the move of asking for full power.
Then a bang happens, it could be heard all around the plane. The plane starts to break apart in the air and crashes in the Residential area of Rockaway. It was impossible for anyone in the Plane to survive that. An pilot that seen the crash alerted an officer at JFK. The Air traffic controllers notice a large black smoke west of them, they start to worry if that was the plane, and soon if it was a planned attack.
Some houses are completely crushed, plane parts are nearly everywhere. Pete Hayden, was the deputy fire chief and was quoted saying on a National Geographic Documentary ‘There was bodies everywhere, all over the streets, all over the Yards’. Pete Hayden was on duty on the 11th September, so this scene was familiar.
News of this tragedy spreads like wildfire, with some broadcasts being interrupted for this news. New yorkers believe they are being attacked again, at this point the Empire State building is being evacuated, The United Nations building is under lockdown and All planes are ordered to stay on the ground by the President.
8 houses were burned and 4 houses were crushed with no way of survival. Stan Molin, father of Sten Molin got a phone call saying his son had died in this terrible accident.
In the Dominican Republic, people who were expecting a nice, happy day seeing their loved ones were presented with the reality, their loved ones are dead. Once the fire settled down they start to identify the bodies. The mayor later came out and said:
‘We have so far recovered 132 bodies. And as I.. as the Governor said there was 255 people and crew members that were listed on the Manifest. And um.. I want to.. again express my sympathy and condolences to everybody involved.’
The Mayor personally gives each family news that they dread. He hugged then victim then gave them a hug. It was just two months after 9/11. The white house made a statement saying they have not ruled out any possibilities yet. George W. Bush had to interrupt an interview with Nelson Mandela to make a statement.
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