New info about Atta practicing at night at Clearwater Airpark

[DoYouEverWonder]

9/11 hijackers practiced here
By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published March 30, 2006

CLEARWATER - Mohammed Atta and a second 9/11 hijacker who piloted planes into the World Trade Center practiced takeoffs and landings at a tiny Clearwater airstrip after it closed for the night, said a flight instructor who later confronted the men.

Atta and Marwan al-Shehhi landed a single-engine plane at least twice at the Clearwater Airpark one night in January or February 2001, according to Daniel Pursell, chief instructor for a Venice flight school that rented planes to the pair.

The two men, likely sharing controls, practiced in nighttime conditions for 30 minutes or more, eventually drawing the attention of a Clearwater police aide who worked as a night watchman and copied the plane's information, Pursell told the St. Petersburg Times .

Why the two men chose the small Clearwater airpark 75 miles north of Venice remains a mystery.

The incident, however, is another example of how closer scrutiny of Atta and the other 9/11 hijackers might have averted the 2001 disasters.

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/03/30/Northpinellas/911_hijackers_practic.shtml

I think this article raises more new questions then answers.

[Kevin Fenton]

1. Good catch

It's mentioned on CNN as well:

"A few months later, Atta and al-Shehhi landed a small plane at a Clearwater, Florida, airport after dark, breaking the airport's curfew."

"Pursell admonished them, but again, there was no investigation."
http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/03/22/moussaoui.trial/index.html

[Rich Hunt]

2. oh, no mystery at all...

Let's just say it's apparent that a lot of underworld 'business is conducted down there. Have a look at the murders - especially unsolved ones. It's clear that there is a lot of mob activity down in Florida.