The Gate 26/32 question, Where did AA 11 departure? Options

[woody]

Some of you may know that there are conflicting accounts regarding the departure gate of AA 11. Some sources say it was Gate 26, some say Gate 32.

I gathered the evidence here (my first 9/11 piece):

http://de.geocities.com/woody_box2000/TwinFlight.html

The 9/11 Commission Report was published half a year later and presented - in my eyes - confirmation for the oddities at Logan Airport. F.I. in the footnotes we learn that some of the passengers of Flight 11 boarded the plane after the push-back! Can any aviation expert tell me how this is possible? (IMG:http://pilotsfor911truth.org/forum/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

9. See TSA report, "Selectee Status of September 11th Hijackers," undated. For boarding and seating information, see AAL record, SABRE information on Flight 11, Sept. 11, 2001.These boarding times from the American system are approximate only; for Flight 11, they indicated that some passengers "boarded" after the aircraft had pushed back from the gate. See AAL response to the Commission's February 3, 2004, requests, Mar. 15, 2004.

Chapter I, note 9

But there's more, even better:

6. For Flight 11, two checkpoints provided access to the gate. The second was opened at 7:15 A.M. The FAA conducted many screener evaluations between September 11, 1999, and September 11, 2001.At the primary checkpoints, in aggregate, screeners met or exceeded the average for overall, physical search, and X-ray detection, while falling below the norm for metal detection. No FAA Special Assessments (by "red teams") were done at Logan security checkpoints during the two years prior to September 11, 2001. See FAA briefing materials, "Assessment and Testing Data for BOS, EWR, and IAD," Oct. 24, 2001.

Chapter I, Note 6

I was wondering why two checkpoints provide access to one gate. I always thought one checkpoint provides access to multiple gates.

Loose Change member JackD has provided me with a nice map of the AA Terminal at Logan:

http://i.elias-savion.com/11/59/en-us/docu...boston_b_aa.pdf

Obviously, there is only one security checkpoint for Gate 32 (the gate favoured by the 9/11 Commission). But - and this is interesting - Gate 26 has to be entered through a different checkpoint.

Is that what the 9/11 Commission means? One checkpoint for each gate? But why don't they mention gate 26, and which of the planes was Flight 11, anyway?

Do multiple checkpoints for one gate make sense at all?

Anyone here familiar with Logan Airport?

[JackD]

Woody, and V2Rotator --

Logan Airport's terminal B has/had more parts than are shown in that restaurant map -- which in fact only shows the "top" part of Terminal B.

B Terminal at Massport's Logan Airport has parking lot in the middle. Cars, buses and taxis access via a loop road. Thus you have a "B1" and a "B2" boarding area that do not meet. if you fly into B1, say, on a Colgan Air flight from Maine (handled by US Airways), you have to exit secuirty, dash across a parking lot, and then ENTER B2 (american airlines, mostly)
http://www.massport.com/logan/insid_termi_b.html


if you mapquest.com with aerial view of Logan Airport, you see the Terminal B area at bottom part of map. You can easily see how you have to go from one separate building to another. Not impossible, but would cost time and effort, and if the connecting flight were late... .. and you would become flustered and sweaty with the effort.

The foot -path of alleged hijackers (take with grain of salt)
-- drive to Portland Maine on 9/10
-- go to WalMart. just before the store closes, ask where you can buy boxcutters.
(get captured on cameras in three places, check into motel)
-- 9/11 6am: almost miss your flight to Boston. checkin at Colgan air, get boarding pass for AA11 at same time.
-- arrive at Logan, cross parking lot, re-enter security. be late. almost miss your flight aa11. your checked in bags do NOT get onto AA11 for some reason.

according to Washington Post:

"Atta stated that he was assured he would have 'one-step check-in,' " according to the report. "The agent told [Atta and Alomari] that they had better get going if they were to make their flight. He said that Atta looked as if he were about to say something in anger but turned to leave."

Atta and Alomari barely made their flight from Portland to Boston, which, according to the Massachusetts Port Authority, was the only flight close enough to allow them to arrive in time to board American Flight 11 at Logan.

The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States released its final report in July but turned over more detailed and classified information to the National Archives, which released the declassified material last week. The new information chronicles more of the hijackers' elaborate planning for the attacks as well as some of their missteps.

Upon arrival at Logan, Atta and Alomari had to go through security a second time, which is usually unnecessary for connecting flights at most U.S. airports. Because of the way the Boston airport is configured, the hijackers arrived at Gate 9 in Terminal B but needed to cross a parking lot and were observed asking for directions to the gate where they boarded American Flight 11, according to the report.
"No one knows what they knew" in planning the attacks, said Al Felzenberg, a former spokesman for the Sept. 11 commission. "The best we could do is retrace their steps. They did some careful planning and they also made some mistakes."



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...-2005Feb12.html


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