Madeline Amy Sweeney

Madeline Amy Sweeney
Born	(1966-12-14)December 14, 1966
Died	September 11, 2001(2001-09-11) (aged 34) Lower Manhattan, New York, USA
Other names	Amy Sweeney
Occupation	Flight attendant

Madeline Amy Sweeney, known as Amy Sweeney (December 14, 1966 – September 11, 2001), was a flight attendant on board American Airlines Flight 11 which was hijacked and flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center as part of the September 11 attacks.

Flight 11

On September 11, Amy Sweeney was asked by American Airlines to take an extra shift, because the other crew member who was assigned to the position was ill. |} During the hijacking, she used an airphone to call American Airlines flight operations center. She reached Michael Woodward, the manager on duty. She relayed information about the hijackers' seats, and described them as middle easterners. She also reported that two flight attendants, the pilots, and a first class passenger had been stabbed. She reported that the hijackers had jammed their way into the cockpit and that there was mace in the first class cabin, and how they couldn't breathe. She also said that the cockpit wasn't answering their phone. During the last minutes of the call, she said that the aircraft was flying erratically and that they were descending very rapidly.

Sweeney was 34 years old when she was killed. She had been a flight attendant for 12 years. She had a husband and two children, ages 4 and 6. They lived in Acton, Massachusetts.

Commemoration

On February 11, 2002, Sweeney was commemorated in a series of new annual bravery awards initiated by the Massachusetts government. The annual Madeline Amy Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery is awarded every September 11 to at least one Massachusetts resident who displayed extraordinary courage in defending or saving the lives of others.

The first recipients were Mrs. Sweeney and fellow flight attendant Betty Ong, who had also relayed information about the hijacking to personnel on the ground. Pilot John Ogonowski also received a posthumous award for turning a radio switch on, which allowed ground control to listen to remarks being made by the hijackers. They were all residents of Massachusetts. Relatives of all three accepted the awards on their behalf.

Quotations

In her nation's darkest hour, she responded with a selfless bravery that illustrates the very best of human nature. She was empowered by her ability to shed light where none existed.

— Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift, presenting the award to Sweeney's children.

She calmly and in a detailed fashion told us that Flight 11 had been hijacked, which was nothing short of a miracle.

— American Airlines flight services manager Michael Woodward, who took the call from Sweeney.

She would have said she was just doing her job.

— Michael Sweeney, her husband, a police officer

External links

• BBC report on Amy Sweeney.
• BBC extracts from the commission report.
• New York Observer article on Amy Sweeney by Gail Sheehy from 2004, including an interview with Sweeney's husband.
• Madeline Sweeney