Chilling last words of hero flight attendant Betty Ong who made first 9/11 phone call from Flight 11
25 years on and Betty Ong is being remembered for the hero that she was following her brave actions on American Airlines Flight 11.
Ong was one of the flight attendants onboard the plane that was supposed to be heading for Los Angeles from Boston.
Tragically the plane never made it to its final destination. Instead, the aircraft was hijacked by terrorists with ties to al-Qaeda and flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.
In the lead up to the devastating crash, Ong sounded the alarm to the American Airlines reservation center.
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"My name is Betty Ong, I'm number three on Flight 11," she said on the call to the North Carolina-based center, per a transcript of the audio.
"The cockpit’s not answering. Somebody’s stabbed in business class and — I think there’s mace — we can’t breathe. I don’t know, I think we’re getting hijacked."
Initially Ong spoke with Vanessa Minter. Nydia Gonzalez, Minter's supervisor, and American Airlines manager Craig Marquis were then patched in as the seriousness of the situation became clear.
Later on in the audio, Ong says: "Our number 1 got stabbed. Our purser is stabbed. Nobody knows who stabbed who, and we can't even get up to business class right now 'cause nobody can breathe. Our number 1 is stabbed right now."
Because of Ong's call, Air Traffic Control (ATC) were able to alert other airlines to the situation – which is likely to have saved hundreds more lives.
Marquis confirms in the audio: "We contacted Air Traffic Control, they are going to handle this as a confirmed hijacking, so they're moving all the traffic out of this aircraft's way."
He adds: "He turned his transponder off, so we don't have a definitive altitude for him. We're just going by—they seem to think that they have him on a primary radar. They seem to think that he is descending."
ATC went on to order all planes flying over the US to land for the first time in America's history, a decision that was, again, sparked by Ong's emergency call.
Ong remained on the phone for over 20 minutes before the aircraft collided into the North Tower at a speed of roughly 470 miles per hour.
Her final words to the people she was on the phone to was 'pray for us'.
As well as Ong's actions having likely saved more lives that day, her phone call gave investigators important information about what took place on Flight 11.
Ong was dubbed a national hero for her actions on that fateful day.
Since her death The Betty Ann Ong Foundation has been set up. It's website says of the charity: "The Betty Ann Ong Foundation collectively creates a supportive space for the communities we serve.
"Betty believed that having a positive self-image and self-confidence at an early age was crucial to the development of a well adjusted individual.
"Our mission is to empower both youth and senior citizens to make positive physical and emotional lifestyle changes for a healthier and brighter future."
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact GrieveWell on (734) 975-0238, or email [email protected].
Niamh Shackleton