Betty Ong wasn’t meant to be on Flight 11, but as bloodshed unfolded around her and the hijacked plane hurtled toward the World Trade Center, the heroic flight attendant calmly sounded the first alarm – before leaving those on the ground with one heartbreaking final plea.
On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, San Francisco’s Betty Ong left Boston aboard Flight 11 bound for Los Angeles, where she planned to meet her sisters before the trio continued to Hawaii.
According to NBC Bay Area, the 45-year-old American Airlines flight attendant had picked up the extra shift to earn money for the trip, but shortly after takeoff, five hijackers seized control of the Boeing 767 carrying 92 people and turned the aircraft toward New York City.
‘I think we’re getting hijacked’
At 8:19 a.m., Betty picked up a seatback Airfone and called American Airlines’ reservations center in North Carolina, becoming the first crew member aboard Flight 11 to alert the airline of the hijacking.
“My name is Betty Ong, I’m number three on Flight 11,” she said, according to “The 9/11 Tapes,” published by the New York Times. “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.”
“Nobody can call the cockpit. We can’t even get inside,” she later said.
Rather than panic, the veteran flight attendant, who had worked for American Airlines for 14 years, stayed on the line and calmly fed employees information about the nightmare unfolding around her.
‘Think we might have lost her’
American Airlines operations specialist Nydia Gonzalez joined the call, relaying Betty’s reports of injuries and the suspected hijackers’ location to the airline’s operations center in Texas.
The information would later help investigators identify the terrorists, while Gonzalez told the 9/11 Commission that Betty’s actions contributed to the chain of events that ultimately led to U.S. airspace being shut down for the first time in history.
For approximately 23 minutes, Betty remained on the phone – a call that was recorded by Gonzalez.
Then, at 8:46 a.m., Flight 11 slammed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, killing everyone aboard.
“What’s going on, Betty? Betty, talk to me. Betty, are you there?” Gonzalez said, adding, “I think we might have lost her.”
‘Our hearts were sinking fast’
Nearly 3,000 people would die in the coordinated terrorist attacks that day, but thousands of miles away in California, Betty’s family initially had no idea that the woman they loved was aboard the first plane to hit the World Trade Center.
Her older brother Harry Ong said his wife woke him that morning and they watched the horror unfolding on television, unaware that his younger sister – whom he called “Bee” – was caught in the middle of it.
After all, she wasn’t supposed to be working that day.
“I didn’t know until about 7 o’clock our time. And I just called American Airlines, kept calling them for about five, six times. And finally, they acknowledged that Betty may have been on that flight,” Harry told NBC Bay Area.
The family desperately left messages on her cellphone, hoping she would respond.
“When she didn’t call back, after we’ve left messages on her cell phone to please call and contact us, and she never returned a call, our hearts were sinking fast,” Harry recalled.
‘You almost die 25 times’
Weeks later, ABC7 reports that two blocks away from where the World Trade Center once stood, a single bone belonging to Betty had been recovered.
“It’s very, very meaningful to have her home, even though it’s just a knee bone. But she’s home,” Harry told the outlet, explaining the bone was cremated and placed in the family plot.
Now, 25 years later, Harry says the pain has never disappeared.
“It still hurts. You almost die 25 times,” he said of losing his sister, who’s now called an American hero.
“Every year you hope that America and the world won’t forget 9/11, yet you yourself want to forget 9/11,” he added.
Betty’s last words
In 2004, part of Betty’s call was played publicly before the 9/11 Commission, where her actions were remembered among the countless acts of “duty, courage, selflessness and love” carried out that morning.
Gonzalez, who described Betty as a “truly remarkable person,” also revealed the final plea the flight attendant made before she lost contact.
“Your acts of courage on September 11 will never be forgotten,” Gonzalez told the commission. “On that day you asked, ‘Pray for us.’ As I assured you then, I will assure you today, we are. Absolutely.”
As we remember Betty and all those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001, please share your thoughts, prayers and best wishes for the families who continue to carry their loss, and share this story to help ensure their loved ones are never forgotten.
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