The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "American Airlines" ...
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The Mastermind
Close on the heels of Khalid Shaikh Mohammad's capture in Pakistan, CBS investigate's his larger role in world terrorism, particularly against USA. Specifically, CBS traces how Mohammad had directed his nephew, Ramzi Yousef, in the first WTC bombing in 1993. Further, Mohammad was not only the cheif architect of the failed American Airlines hijacking attempt in Phillipines, but also blending these two plans to make a blue print for the 9/11 attacks. The article also focuses on a raw copy of the audiotape with the voice of Ramzi bin al Shibh, who was Mohammad Atta's roommate in Hamburg, Germany.
Tags: Al-Jazeera; World Trade Center; Yosri Fouda; Karachi; Pakistan; Osama Bin Laden
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Pilot shortage siphons experienced instructors from flight schools
This story analyzes the fact American air carriers that operate internationally are taking away experienced pilots from both flight schools' instructor positions and regional airlines. The consequence of this trend is new pilots have to learn from unexperienced teachers. McCartney says this raises "questions about the quality of America's future pilots." The story adds the FAA was "looking into the matter." The fact big international airlines lure experienced pilots draws regional and small to hire people who sometimes can't meet the traditional requirements, such as having 20/20 vision without glasses. So these companies lower those requirements. Despite the concern raised, McCartney says "there isn't any evidence that possible lack of experience has posed any safety problems at either major or regional airlines.
Tags: National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB); Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Council on Aviation Accreditation; United Airlines; AirNet Systems Inc.; Embry-Riddle University; Northwest Airlines; Palm Springs International Airport; Airbus Industrie
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Pull Up!: United 747's Near Miss Sparks a Widespread Review of Pilot Skills
The Wall Street Journal reports on many pilots' lack of basic training, resulting in poor flying skills. The story describes a incident with an United Airlines jumbo jet with 307 passengers and crew, which barely missed apartments and houses in San Francisco before safely returning to the airport. The incident was publicly disclosed much later, but there are other "close calls" that remain undisclosed.
Tags: National Transportation Safety Board; American Airlines; FAA; Boeing; safety; business
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The Plot
A CBS News 60 Minutes II report reveals that the mastermind of the September 11 attacks was not Osama bin Laden, but an Al Qaeda terrorist who had struck America before: Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. Mohammed directed his nephew in the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 and was behind the failed attempt to hijack 11 American airliners in the Philippines and crash them into the Pacific. "In the end, Mohammed simply combined the '93 World Trade Center attack with the failed plan in the Philippines and came up with the blueprint for September 11th.
Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; World Trade Center attacks; September 11th; 9-11; terrorism; terrorists; Osama bin Laden; Khalid Shaikh Mohammed; Al Qaeda; Bin al Shibh; Mohammed Atta; al Jazeera; CIA; FBI
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FAA Whistleblower, American Gun, and Atta and the Mechanic
The three stories deal with aviation security up to 9/11. The first story, FAA Whistleblower, is about the first FAA official to go on the record blaming senior officials in the agency for contributing to the situation that allowed the hijackings of 9/11. The second story, American Gun, is about an FAA memo which describes one of the hijackers aboard American Airlines flight 11 shooting another passengers. The third story, Atta and the Mechanic, is about Mohammed Atta and an American Airlines mechanic encounter several months before 9/11.
Tags: FAA; security; 9/11; Atta; mechanic; American Airlines; hijackings; tape; transcript
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Four Hours of Fear: 9/11's Untold Story; Amid terror, a drastic decision: Clear the Skies
USA Today explains how the nation's aviation system was able to land nearly 4,500 planes on Sept. 11 when the call went out to clear the skies following the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The story shows scenes in air traffic control rooms across the country, and illustrates how the FAA was able to execute the historic order.
Tags: air traffic control; Sept. 11; history; clear the skies; FAA; planes; airports; airlines; American; United; safety; terrorism; prevention; World Trade Center; Pentagon
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Series on 9-11 intelligence failures: The 9/11 terrorists the CIA should have caught (The hijackers we let escape); The informant who lived with the hijackers; The Saudi money trail; Charity and Terror
Newsweek investigates whether the CIA and FBI ignored critical clues that might have helped prevent the attacks. The first story looks at a case where the CIA tracked two suspected terrorists to an Al-Qaeda summit in Malaysia in 2000. These same two men later came to the U.S., lived in California and went on to hijack the plane that crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11. The report questions why the CIA didn't do more to stop these men, based on the information they had. The second story reports although one FBI informant was the hijackers' roommate, intelligence agencies still failed to recognize the threat. The third story reveals how an Saudi student in the U.S., Omar Al-Bayoumi, provided critical assistance to the two hijackers. The fourth story reports on how Saudi-based Islamic charities have been used to fund terrorist organizations around the world.
Tags: Terrorism; terrorists; Malaysia; CIA; September 11; Pentagon; Al-Qaeda; Osama bin Laden; Kuala Lumpur; Alhazmi; Almihdhar; American Airlines Flight 77; flight school; FBI; 9-11; Al-Owhali
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Are Airplanes Safe Enough?
Forbes reports on conflicts between mechanics and executives at major airlines. Mechanics often alert the companies about maintenance problems in the planes, however, airlines refuse to make additional expenditures to fix them. Northwest Airlines even fired a mechanic for excessive write-ups, Tatge reports. America West Airlines and American Airlines have been found to have the most maintenance lapses. The story is based on a database from the Federal Aviation Administration of accidents related to bad maintenance.
Tags: transportation; fatalities; FAA; aircrafts; emergency; carriers
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From the Tower, Voices From the Sky
A two-part ABC News investigation attempts to find a fresh angle to the story of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The first report tells what happened through the eyes of the air traffic controllers at Dulles International Airport. One of the findings is that American 11 that crashed into the Pentagon had most probably targeted the White House at first but the terrorists could not see it well because the sun was in their eyes. The second part broadcasts "the actual sound of hijackers storming the cockpit" of United 93 which crashed into a Pennsylvania field.
Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; Sept. 11; pilots; hijackers; airlines; World Trade Center; Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
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Reclaiming the land
A Dallas Business Journal investigation reviews the cleanup program for "nearly 400 contaminated sites identified as brownfields in the Dallas-Fort Worth Area." The reporter analyzed a database that contained the location and histories of "sites where dry cleaners, auto dealers, garages and others for decades mixed commerce with contaminants." The analysis reveals that small business owners can rarely afford to finance its own cleanup.
Tags: Halliburton; EPA; contamination; American Airlines Center; environment; Metroplex; toxic waste; lead smelter; CAR; database mapping project