Impending Death

Impending Death is a photograph captured by freelance photographer Thomas Dallal amid the September 11 attacks. This image depicts the North Tower (1 WTC) of the World Trade Center engulfed in flames following the collision with American Airlines Flight 11 at 8:46 a.m., moments before the tower’s collapse at 10:28 a.m. The photograph reveals numerous individuals trapped on the upper levels, visible through windows as they struggle against dense smoke and extreme heat. Evacuation was unattainable because all stairwells and elevators above the 91st floor had been destroyed by the impact of Flight 11.

This photograph earned second place in the Pictures of the Year International competition. A comparable image, taken by Jeff Christensen of Reuters, was subsequently utilized to assist in identifying victims.

Background

On September 11, 2001, four commercial airplanes were hijacked and used in coordinated attacks targeting the United States. Two of these flights, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, crashed into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m. and 9:03 a.m., respectively. Both towers ultimately collapsed due to structural failures caused by intense fires; the South Tower fell at 9:59 a.m., followed by the North Tower at 10:28 a.m.

The trajectory of Flight 11's impact trapped approximately 1,344 people above the 91st floor in the North Tower, all of whom died from smoke inhalation, burns, falls, or during the collapse. Numerous photographs captured victims either trapped inside or falling from the building. One of the most iconic images from that day is The Falling Man, taken by Associated Press photographer Richard Drew.

Captured just prior to the North Tower’s collapse, Impending Death shows roughly fifty individuals on floors occupied by Cantor Fitzgerald, which suffered the loss of 658 employees—nearly two-thirds of its staff—and Windows on the World, which lost 73 people.

Identification

In September 2006, Vanity Fair featured an excerpt from Watching the World Change, detailing efforts by families of 9/11 victims to recognize loved ones in this and other photographs taken from different perspectives.

References

• Watching the World Change. Friend, David. 2006.