Stranger In A Strange Land

By Sora Song

On a breezy, brisk morning last spring, as Dan Whitener was tying down his single-engine plane at the Martin Campbell Airport in the tiny mining town of Copperhill, Tenn., an unfamiliar airplane landed. Two Middle Eastern-looking men climbed out, and the shorter one quizzed Whitener. "So, tell me about this chemical plant I just flew over."

Whitener, having stood just 2 ft. from him, swears the man was Mohamed Atta, who investigators say hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 last month and flew it into the World Trade Center's north tower. "He asked a lot of really crazy questions," recalls Whitener. Among them were inquiries about the dam that spans the nearby Hiwassee River, which runs into the Tennessee River between two nuclear plants. He also asked about Boliden Intertrade, a chemical plant that until last year produced sulfur dioxide and sulfuric acid but now stands empty. After 15 minutes, Atta and his partner climbed back in the plane and took off. Whitener later described the bizarre encounter to his friend John Rutkowsky, who joked that the men could have been terrorists. "Yeah, sure." Whitener laughed. "Terrorists in downtown Copperhill." After the attacks, he told the FBI about the men. A spokesman said the bureau is investigating.

--Reported by Elisabeth Kauffman/Nashville

With reporting by Elisabeth Kauffman/Nashville