Fox News Airs 9/11 Footage During Report on Mid-Air Pilot Altercation
The network apologized for the blunder, which occurred during a live report about a Flydubai flight diverted due to an alleged hijacking attempt.
Fox News inadvertently broadcast footage of the Shanksville, Pennsylvania, field where United Flight 93 crashed on September 11, 2001, during a report on a mid-air altercation between two pilots on a Flydubai flight.
The incident occurred on Wednesday's "Fox & Friends." Host Brian Kilmeade issued an apology shortly after the erroneous footage was displayed, stating, "We were just getting the latest on this story, we aired some footage unrelated. We apologize for any confusion. We’re still also trying to make sense of what just took place."
The accompanying on-screen text clearly identified the Shanksville site and date: "SHANKSVILLE, PA Sept. 11, 2001." The clip was removed within seconds.
At the time of the broadcast, Fox News Foreign Correspondent Jeff Paul was reporting live on the Flydubai flight, which had been diverted to Saudi Arabia following an in-flight altercation that caused the plane to briefly plummet nearly 17,500 feet. The incident is currently under investigation.
Lawrence Jones, referencing an early statement from an Israeli official to the Jerusalem Post, informed Paul and his co-hosts that the incident "was an attempt to hijack the plane and crash it into the ground." It was during this segment that the unrelated 9/11 footage was shown.
United Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville on September 11, 2001, after passengers and crew intervened against hijackers, preventing the plane from reaching its presumed target, which was believed to be in Washington D.C. The heroism of those aboard is commemorated at the Flight 93 National Memorial.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the Flydubai incident later, describing it in a video statement as an incident where one pilot stabbed another and seemingly attempted to crash the plane. He credited passengers and crew with subduing the assailant and preventing a disaster.
Data from Flightradar24 indicated the plane experienced a rapid loss of altitude around 1:22 a.m. EST. The Flydubai flight was eventually able to stabilize and land in Saudi Arabia. Officials from Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk airport confirmed that both pilots were hospitalized with injuries, and the assailant is being interrogated by Saudi authorities. Israel was reportedly organizing the return of its citizens from Saudi Arabia.