Michael Thexton

And when the lights were completely out, again, people say that the hijackers were shouting things to each other.

I don't remember that.

I only remember...

and thinking, is that hand grenade?

Surely a hand grenade would be louder than that.

And then, unmistakably, automatic gunfire from the front of the plane just a few yards away.

And then the leader has changed his magazines.

Let's go the second magazine into the front of the plane and then from the back of the plane.

There are apparently the marks or the evidence of six hand grenades thrown among the passengers.

And I lifted my head enough to see on the far side of the plane, door shaped blackness.

No, it was different color of black and it was door shaped.

And I thought I felt for the man beside me.

I said, they've got a door open.

We've got to go.

And he pushed me back and he said, no, no, keep down, keep down.

I wasn't having this.

I mean, I knew it would be fueled up to fly to Frankfurt.

I thought it would burn.

And I said, no, it's on fire.

You could smell smoke in the air.