Layover Episode: American Airlines Flight 63: The Shoe Bomber

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Exclusive for Podcrashers:

A little more than three months after the devastating attacks of September 11th, people were trying to find a new sense of normal. And for many people, that “new normal” included getting on an airplane again. But passengers and crew on one international flight would find themselves in a situation all too reminiscent of those very terrorist attacks. In this exclusive Patreon Layover episode of Take to the Sky: the Air Disaster Podcast, Shelly shares how the brave passengers and crew of American Airlines Flight 63 worked together to prevent a terrorist attack. The foiled attempt revealed yet another gap in aviation safety and forever changed airport screening procedures.
American Airlines Flight 63

The shoes worn by the attempted bomber on American Airlines Flight 63. Source: The FBI

American Airlines Flight 63

Flight attendant Hermis Mourtadier. Source: Time Magazine

American Airlines Flight 63

Flight attendant Cristina Jones. Source: National Museum of American History

American Airlines Flight 63

Passenger Kwame James. Source: Associated Press/Cleveland.com