Actor Mark Wahlberg and "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane were both booked on American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane to hit the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, but narrowly avoided becoming victims due to separate unforeseen events.
Wahlberg, now 55, has reflected on the "gut punch of emotions" he experiences on the anniversary of the attacks. Just days before September 11, 2001, Wahlberg had changed his travel plans to fly to Toronto after a friend invited him to see his film at the Toronto Film Festival. This change of plans meant he was not on the Boston to Los Angeles flight that morning.
MacFarlane, 52, missed the same flight due to a hangover. He had been celebrating at his alma mater, the Rhode Island School of Design, and was given an incorrect departure time by his travel agent, causing him to arrive at Logan Airport too late to board Flight 11. He was scheduled to depart at 8:15 a.m. but the actual departure time was 7:45 a.m.
American Airlines Flight 11, piloted by Al-Qaeda hijacker Mohammed Atta and four other terrorists, struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m. local time. The flight had departed from Boston's Logan Airport carrying 92 people.
In the past, Wahlberg faced criticism for comments made about his potential actions had he been on board the flight. He later apologized, stating his remarks were irresponsible and offensive to the victims' families.
MacFarlane described the realization of how close he came to dying as "sobering." He noted that while he did not experience panic at the moment, the situation was significant. He also quipped that drinking had "saved my life."
Nineteen Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked four commercial airliners on September 11, 2001. Two planes hit the World Trade Center towers, one struck the Pentagon, and the fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew fought back against the hijackers.
The attacks resulted in the deaths of 2,753 people in New York City, 184 at the Pentagon, and 40 in Pennsylvania. The death toll in New York later rose to 2,996 due to exposure to dust at Ground Zero, with thousands more suffering long-term health problems.