Actor Mark Wahlberg and "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane were 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 life-altering coincidences.
Wahlberg, now 55, reflected on the 25th anniversary of the attacks, describing the date as a "gut punch of emotions." Days before the attacks, Wahlberg changed his travel plans to fly to Toronto at the request of a friend to view a film, thus missing the fatal flight out of Boston's Logan Airport.
At the time, Wahlberg faced criticism for suggesting that he could have altered the outcome of the flight. He later apologized, stating, "To speculate about such a situation is ridiculous to begin with, and to suggest I would have done anything differently than the passengers on that plane was irresponsible. I deeply apologize to the families of the victims that my answer came off as offensive; it was certainly not my intention."
MacFarlane, 52, missed the same flight due to a severe hangover following celebrations at the Rhode Island School of Design. His travel agent provided an incorrect departure time, leading him to arrive at the gate 10 minutes too late to board American Airlines Flight 11. In 2003, MacFarlane described the experience as "sobering," noting that he never experienced panic because he did not realize the danger until after the event. He quipped that drinking had "saved my life."
American Airlines Flight 11, carrying 92 passengers and crew, was hijacked by four al-Qaeda operatives led by Mohammed Atta. The plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m. local time.
Nineteen al-Qaeda operatives hijacked four planes on September 11, 2001. Two planes struck the World Trade Center towers, leading to their collapse and killing 2,753 people. Another hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon, killing 184 people. The passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 fought back against hijackers, causing it to crash in a field in Pennsylvania, killing 40 people.
The overall death toll in New York eventually rose to 2,996 due to the effects of dust exposure at Ground Zero, with thousands more suffering long-term health issues. Osama bin Laden, the founder of al-Qaeda in 1988, admitted to orchestrating the attacks. He was killed in a raid a decade later.
Backstreet Boys member Brian Littrell's wife, Leighanne, had also been booked on Flight 11 but canceled her ticket the night before. However, band crew member Daniel Lee was among the 92 victims on board. Lee was traveling home to be with his wife, Kellie, for the birth of their second daughter, who was born two days after the attacks and named Allison Danielle Lee in his memory.