Madeline Amy Sweeney


Madeline Amy Sweeney was an American flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11 during the September 11 attacks.

Flight 11

On September 11, 2001, Sweeney, who had been a flight attendant for 12 years, was asked by American Airlines to take an extra shift because the other crew member, who was assigned to the position, was ill. Normally, she would only work part-time on weekends.
At approximately 7:15 a.m., before the plane had taken off, Sweeney made a cellular telephone call to her husband from the plane – which he deemed to be "highly unusual". She was feeling low about being at work and missing out on a chance to see their daughter, a kindergartner, off to school.
At 8:46 a.m., Sweeney was on the phone with manager Michael Woodward when the plane crashed into the North Tower: "I see water. I see buildings. I see buildings! We are flying low. We are flying very, very low. We are flying way too low. Oh my God we are flying way too low. Oh my God!" She was survived by her husband and their two children.

Legacy

On February 11, 2002, Sweeney was commemorated in a series of new annual bravery awards initiated by the Government of Massachusetts. The annual Madeline Amy Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery is awarded every September 11 to at least one Massachusetts resident who displayed extraordinary courage in defending or saving the lives of others.
The first recipients were Sweeney and her colleague Betty Ong, who had also relayed information about the hijacking to personnel on the ground. Pilot John Ogonowski also received a posthumous award for having thought to activate the cockpit radio, which allowed ground control to listen to remarks being made by the hijackers. They were all residents of Massachusetts. Relatives of all three accepted the awards on their behalf.
Sweeney is commemorated in the National September 11 Memorial on panel N-74 at the North Pool.