A quarter of a century ago — on September 11, 2001 — the largest terrorist attack in world history took place. Al-Qaeda militants hijacked four passenger planes in the United States. Two of them struck the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, the third hit the Pentagon, and the fourth crashed into a field before reaching Washington. The attacks killed 2,977 people, of whom 2,606 were victims of the strike on the Twin Towers.
After the attacks, US airspace was closed to civil aviation, and hundreds of aircraft bound for the country were redirected to other airports. Among them was Flight 101 of Uzbekistan Airways, en route from Tashkent to New York. The Boeing 757, carrying nearly 200 passengers and crew members, was diverted to Goose Bay Airport in Canada. This military airfield, belonging to the Canadian Armed Forces, received dozens of aircraft that day.
Twenty-five years later, Gazeta correspondents spoke with the commander of Flight 101, Hero of Uzbekistan Zarif Saidazimov, and passengers Gulnora Musayeva and Gulshoda Abdiyeva, who shared their memories of the events a quarter-century ago, the situation on board, and the landing process in Canada. According to Commander Saidazimov, the flight followed the route Tashkent — Birmingham — New York. During refueling in Birmingham, a woman from Fergana suddenly collapsed at the boarding stairs and died. The aircraft was designed for 184 people, but on that day there were 180 passengers on board.
While the plane was crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the pilots heard over a special frequency from conversations among American colleagues that a plane had crashed in New York. At first they were surprised: "How can a plane crash?" Then information came in about the strike on the Pentagon, the attack on the trade center, and other events. After that, it became known that US airspace had been closed. The backup airport for New York was Boston, but it and other airports were overwhelmed with aircraft, and they were not allowed to enter their airspace.
Then, searching the map for a closer airport, they found the Goose Bay military air base in Canada and headed there. As they approached Goose Bay, the weather was poor — clouds, lightning, and other adverse conditions. During descent, they had to navigate around thunderstorms and clouds, and fuel was running low. The engines had not failed, but to conserve fuel they operated them at low thrust, briefly shutting one down and then restarting it. They landed the aircraft with two engines running. Landing at the airport was not easy, and it was extremely difficult for the dispatchers as well. Finally, after establishing contact, they received permission to land. As they approached and were landing, they were told to close the window shades and not let anyone open them.
After landing at the airfield, they sat inside the aircraft with the passengers for about 7 hours. The commander ordered the flight attendants to distribute all the reserve food and tried to calm the passengers. He told them that JFK Airport was closed for technical reasons and that once it opened, they would continue the flight to New York. Panic had to be avoided. Meanwhile, he called the embassy in Washington, introduced himself as the commander of Flight 101, and reported that all passengers were safe and sound and that they had landed at Goose Bay Airport. Later, local authorities arrived, said that all aircraft would remain there, took the passenger list, and disembarked them.
The passengers were placed in military barracks and given food, telephones, televisions, necessary hygiene items, and even slippers. Everyone contacted their loved ones by phone. After watching the events in New York repeatedly on television, the passengers grasped the true scale of the tragedy. Nevertheless, many wanted to reach New York as soon as possible. Commander Saidazimov barely slept for two days. On the third day, it was decided to return the passengers first to Birmingham and from there to Tashkent. An official guarantee regarding their tickets was prepared for the passengers, printed in English, Russian, and Uzbek, and distributed to each of them.
A commander''s duty is not limited to flying the aircraft — he is also responsible for passengers, baggage, and many other matters. In such a situation, the commander simultaneously acts as both a consul and an ambassador. The aircraft was prepared for flight, refueled, and inspected. Each passenger was spoken to individually and their consent to return was obtained. They flew to Birmingham at night. Over the Atlantic Ocean, there was not a single aircraft in the sky — only theirs was flying. In the morning, they landed in Birmingham. There, too, the airport was barely operating, and planes were not flying.
In 2007, Commander Saidazimov was awarded the title of Hero of Uzbekistan. In late October 2001, he flew to New York again and visited the site of the tragedy — the area of the destroyed trade centers. Smoke was still rising there. He bought flowers and placed them at that spot. He was deeply affected by the death of innocent people. "Flight 101 left a deep mark on my heart, it can never be erased. It was not an ordinary flight. For me, the greatest reward is bringing 180 passengers to safety, returning them safely to Birmingham, and the fact that in a difficult situation they believed my words and followed me," he says.
Gulnora Musayeva, a former artist of the "Bahor" State Uzbek Folk Dance Ensemble and director of the Tamarakhanum House-Museum, was in the delegation invited by the embassy in the US to participate in an event dedicated to Independence Day as the producer of the vocal group "Anor". Her partners'' office in New York was located on the 78th floor of one of the World Trade Center towers. Before the trip, the embassy called and asked her to change her plans. At first, she thought of flying alone on September 9 and staying with her partners in New York, but decided to go with everyone else.
On September 11, the flight from Tashkent to New York made a technical stop in England for refueling. During the stop, one of the passengers suffered a heart attack. Gulnora Musayeva helped the woman lie down on a bench and gave her the medicines she always carried with her. Then medical assistance was called, and she was taken away by doctors. The flight was delayed by about an hour. When the remaining passengers returned to the plane, it became known that the woman had died. "Thus, our flight began with a tragedy. Later, I thought a lot about this delay. If we had taken off on time, we might have been much closer to New York when the airspace was closed. How events would have unfolded then — no one knows," she says.
About 40 minutes before reaching New York, the flight attendants announced that due to weather conditions the plane would not be able to land at the designated airport. The aircraft was diverted to Goose Bay Airport in Canada. The passengers were told nothing about the real reason for the route change — perhaps to avoid panic. After landing at Goose Bay, a young man who had been sleeping in the row behind woke up, thinking they had already arrived in the US, and called his mother: "Mom, I''ve arrived." Suddenly his voice changed: "What? How? War? The Twin Towers?" At his words, everyone immediately turned to look at him.
Source: www.gazeta.uz