William Langewiesche is a travel writer, journalist and former professional pilot.

Assisted by his father, himself a pilot, he first sat behind the controls of an aeroplane when he was just five years old. By the age of fourteen he had already performed his first solo flight. After two decades of working as a professional pilot, at the age of 36, Langewiesche dedicated himself to his true passion: writing. In 1991 he became a correspondent for Atlantic Monthly.

He is the author of many books, including American Ground: Unbuilding the World Trade Center (2002), an insider’s account of the nine month period of clean-up of the Twin Towers, where he was the only journalist permitted to cover all aspects of the demolition process. His latest book, The Outlaw Sea: A World of Freedom, Chaos, and Crime (2004) has been short-listed for the 2005 Ulysses Award for the Art of Reportage.

Recent articles

The sinking of the 'Estonia' passenger ferry, en route from Tallinn to Stockholm, is regarded as one of the Baltic Sea's worst maritime tragedies, with over 850 deaths. 11 years on, the event is still surrounded by controversy, conspiracy theories and bureaucratic cover-ups. With extraordinary detail William Langewiesche reconstructs that fateful night.