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American Morning

America's New War: Pilot Recalls Events of September 11th

Aired September 25, 2001 - 09:12   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Gil Williams is a commercial pilots whose plane was on the same flight path as one of the jetliners that hit the World Trade Center on September 11th. Williams was about 15 minutes behind the suicide attack plane and he flew a bit east of the burning towers, 10 thousand feet up.

Mr. Williams joins us now from Orlando to talk about that experience, and about security, including one of the proposals now being debated to arm pilots.

Good to see you, sir. Thanks so much for being with us this morning.

GIL WILLIAMS, COMMERCIAL PILOT: Good morning, Paula. How are you?

ZAHN: I'm good. But before we talk about this hotly debated topic on arming pilots, first of all, take us back to September 11th. How far behind one of those flights were you?

WILLIAMS: We were approximately 100 miles behind, so that equates to about 15 minutes in flight time.

ZAHN: And at what point did you realize one of those planes was in trouble?

WILLIAMS: We never actually saw the actual airplane. What we did see was we saw building on fire, and we were talking to air traffic control at the time, and we were able to be diverted off course, away from the airplane that crashed into the first World Trade Center.

ZAHN: Did the air traffic controller, at that point, confirm for you that there had been a hijacked plane that had slammed into that building?

WILLIAMS: At that point, New York Center, which is air traffic control that normally controls us, at that point had shut down and we were being controlled by Boston Center, and that was when we were given an emergency vector or a quick turn away from New York City out to east over Atlantic Ocean.

ZAHN: But you still didn't know that point why you were being given an emergency vector? WILLIAMS: At that point we did not know why. We just saw the building on fire, but we didn't know what had happened to the building.

ZAHN: And did you make any assumption on your own?

WILLIAMS: At that point we did not. We just saw the fire, and we just thought that somehow the building caught fire, that -- we had no idea that it was a terrorist attack that point.

ZAHN: As I understand it, though, some passengers on board were communicating with family members on cell phones. Did at any point any of that information get communicated to you through flight attendants?

WILLIAMS: The flight attendants and some passengers saw what was going on from the flight, but no one actually communicated to us what was going on because nobody actually knew what was happening. I don't believe that any one in flight found out on cell phones. I believe they didn't find that information out until we actually touched down.

ZAHN: And when you landed in Hartford safely and you were told what happened, what went through your mind?

WILLIAMS: At that point we initially were in a state of disbelief. We weren't sure what had happened because we were told that, one, and then two, and then finally a third airplane had crashed into Pentagon. But at that point we thought that there was really just one crash, and that the person who had told us was mistaken. And we later found out when we began to watch the news that the passenger was absolutely correct in his details, and we were kind of shocked.

ZAHN: And once that shock wore off, I just wonder how vulnerable you felt when you learned that four commercial jetliners were hijacked in about an hour and half period, out of airports you fly out of frequently?

WILLIAMS: Right. We didn't feel good about that. But one thing that we are feeling good about is the measures that are being implemented right now. And I feel safer now than I have ever felt because security is heightened in such a manner that passengers, and to include myself, pilots, and security personnel are at awareness level that we have never been at in this nation.

ZAHN: So are you willing to take the classroom training that will be required to carry a firearm on board one of your flights?

WILLIAMS: Definitely. Ironically -- it is ironic that you should mention that. We're -- I'm also an Air Force pilot, and we routinely fly armed on our missions in the Air Force. And so for myself to fly armed, it would not be out of the norm at all.

ZAHN: Well, let me ask you this: One member of one of the pilots' union was quoted as saying that, you know, basically, you're asking too of your pilots up there. He said, you can't be sky king and Wyatt Erp at the same time. WILLIAMS: I understand what that gentleman is saying, buy just like a person who goes out and buys a big dog, a big guard dog, you buy that dog as a deterrent. you don't buy it because you know it's going to bite someone. Just as if we had this gun it would be a deterrent for any potential terrorist attack.

ZAHN: But there's some concern that you would be required to wear that gun in a shoulder harness. And if someone approached you from the behind, you wouldn't have that much time to react.

WILLIAMS: As we do in the Air Force, the gun would have to be upholstered at that point. We have the holster in a position where we can actually reach in and grab the gun in a certain amount of time. And so I'm sure that the training that the airlines would implement, if they choice to do that, would be a similar type of training.

ZAHN: I don't mean this as an incentive question at all, particularly as you trying to win back the faith and the trust of the American flying public, but if your pilots' union goes ahead with idea, which it now says it embraces, do you think pilots are entitled to a raise if they got to go through the classroom and the firearms training?

WILLIAMS: OK, I missed the last question. Can you say that again?

ZAHN: Yes. And I don't mean it in an incentive way, but do you think all you pilots deserve a raise if you are going to have to go through this classroom training and take the additional firearms training that will be required, if this goes through.

WILLIAMS: I'm sure that the pilots will be willing to do that. As far as any raise or anything like that, no one will be expecting anything like that. We would just be willing to do what it takes to keep the airplanes safe for our passengers.

ZAHN: All right, Gil Williams, thank you very much for joining us tonight -- or this after -- It is morning, isn't it? We all lost track of time here. Appreciate your time and good luck to you as your industry continues to debate this, really, really tough issue.

WILLIAMS: Thank you, Paula.

ZAHN: Good luck.

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