reply to post by vivid1975
4 planes crashed and not a single fighter jet was scrambled.
actually, 2 were sent after the plane going toward the Pentagon....here are transcripts from earlier released NORAD transmissions....
nomenclature:
Huntress – North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) call sign
Giant Killer - Fleet Air Control and Surveillance Facility Virginia Capes (FACSFAC VACAPES) call sign
NEADS - North East Air Defense Sector of NORAD
Boston – Boston ARTCC (FAA)
New York – New York ARTCC (FAA)
Washington – Washington ARTCC (FAA)
TRACON – Refers to a specific airport approach ATC (FAA)
MCC OP - DRM1 DAT2 Channel 2 MCC OP.wav
ID OP - DRM1 DAT2 Channel 4 ID OP.wav
ID2 OP - DRM1 DAT2 Channel 7 ID2 OP.wav
AST OP - DRM1 DAT2 Channel 15 AST OP.wav
SD2 OP - DRM1 DAT2 Channel 19 SD2 OP.wav
Timeline (NEADS time, UTC)
13:08:37
MCC (Major Nasypany) orders Langley to battle stations. Debate going on with New York ARTCC who wanted to keep the Otis fighters in W-105 area (over
water) and MCC wanted them over Manhattan. Langley brought up in case the fighters were needed to back-up the Otis fighters. MCC OP
13:09:33
In background, QUIT 2-5 and 2-6 “on battle stations”. MCC OP
13:20:56
Boston Military (Scoggins) calls ID2 to inform them of a report that AAL11 is still airborne and headed towards Washington. Further that it is
hijacked and is a 3rd aircraft. Scoggins advises that it is a report from Washington Center. ID2 OP
13:21:34
MCC alerted of 3rd hijacking headed towards Washington. MCC OP
13:22:32
MCC gives the order to scramble Langley and head them towards the Washington area. MCC OP
13:22:33
Reports a 3rd (American Airlines) aircraft headed towards Washington. SD2 OP
13:23:08
Reports Langley fighters are being scrambled to the Washington area. SD2 OP
13:23:10
ID2 called Washington Center to get more details. The male answering the phone said he had only been there for around 10 minutes and had no
information regarding AAL11 headed towards Washington. ID2 OP
13:23:47
“You’ll have to maintain com with FAA and victor (unintelligible)…”
“Your mission will be to bring him up north, for now just head him toward (spoken over)…international…tell them to coordinate with Center that
NORAD wants them to cam… (spoken over)”
“Baltimore-Washington International…” SD2 OP
13:24:02
Scoggins, Boston Military calls ID2. “We did hear from Washington, there is an aircraft, they believe it is American 11 and he is southwest, only
just don’t have a point…” ID2 OP
13:24:08
MCC states Langley fighter call signs as QUIT 2-5 and QUIT 2-6. MCC OP
13:24:54
“…cap over Washington…”
“…we’ll be ready to go…” SD2 OP
13:25:11
ID calls Washington Center to see if they have information regarding AAL11 which is thought to still be in the air and headed towards Washington from
the New York area. Washington says “we don’t have anything on that one.” When asked if they were aware of the report he was headed for
Washington he replied, “We just got word from Boston or somewhere, but we don’t have anything on him yet and … uh … there’s a lot of
different things going on right now.” ID OP
13:26:31
ID yells out, “Boston is now missing another aircraft!” ID OP
13:27:21
ID2 calls Washington requesting lat/long for AAL11 “headed towards ya’ll”. The phone is handed off to another male who asks, “where you
getting this information from on American 11?” She responds, “Boston Military”, and that they were getting it through Washington. Washington
Center responds that AAL11 is the plane that crashed into the World Trade Center and Boston is not getting their information from Washington
Center.
Washington Center advised they would have their military guy call the Boston military guy. The man on the phone tells someone in the background to
call Boston Military and then hangs up. ID2 OP
13:29:30
A female voice in the background says, “Washington had better get on the loop!” ID OP
13:29:40
Same female in background says, “…they better start looking for this guy…” ID OP
In general ID begins complaining to Boston on the phone about the lack of information coming out of Washington Center and being non-responsive,
requesting that Boston call Washington. ID OP
Male voice in background says, “Langley is scrambled.” The male seems to indicate the Langley fighters are headed to a point over Washington, DC,
but conversation is broken. ID OP
13:30:33
“QUIT call sign airborne…” MCC OP
Verified by 84 RADES radar data that Langley fighters are in the air at this point.
13:31:25
ID contacts Boston Military and asks if they have any updates on the hijacked aircraft. They do not know where AAL11 is and have no information on the
3rd missing plane. ID OP
13:32:17
Washington Center Operations Manager calls ID. ID briefs him on what NORAD knows at that point, 3 missing aircraft and that one may be headed towards
Washington. ID OP
13:32:40
QUIT 2-5 headed into W-386, “I have no idea why…”* MCC OP
[* Langley TRACON should have handed the fighters off to Washington ARTCC (Washington Center) so that they could proceed to the DC area. Instead, they
were handed off to Giant Killer who followed their SOP and sent them to an offshore holding area (W-386) where a tanker (TEAM 2-2) had been dispatched
to a few minutes earlier.]
13:33:10
SGT Richmond notified that ID was working to identify 3rd hijacked aircraft (later ID as AAL77). AST OP
13:33:22
Time Langley fighters airborne given as 13:25. SD2 OP
13:33:29
SGT Richmond alerts radar operators #6 and #8 to watch for search targets and alert him if they see anything. AST OP
13:33:58
After the briefing by ID, the WCOM tells ID about AAL77 missing. Female voice in background starts yelling out “American Airlines 77 is lost”. He
tells her that Indianapolis lost contact with AAL77 at 35,000 feet and don’t know where he is, “so what we have done at the surrounding centers
here is tell everyone to look out for limited codes, primary targets, or whatever the case may be. And that was the last time, that was about fifteen
minutes ago since I talked to the Indianapolis Center Operations Manager.” He had no further information except that Indianapolis put its last
location “east of York”. ID OP
13:34:06
First identification of AAL77 heard as a hijacked aircraft (error in take-off location, Boston to LAX). AST OP
13:34:08
MCC on the phone with Giant Killer, Fleet Air Control and Surveillance Facility Virginia Capes (FACSFAC VACAPES) in regards to QUIT 2-5 (Langley
fighters). Asks Giant Killer to work with Center and send them direct to Baltimore-Washington International and contact Huntress (NORAD) on the radio.
Giant Killer responds, “you got QUIT 2-5 moving east in the airspace and now you want me to go to Baltimore?” MCC responds yes and says just to
tell Center they need to go to Baltimore.* MCC OP
* [This turn to the north is not executed until 13:38:10 (approximately same time as AAL77 impacts the Pentagon). It is unclear why the delay in
executing the turn north even after clarification.]
13:35:35
Boston calls ID2 reporting a VFR aircraft six miles southwest of the White House and moving away. They had overheard the report on a telecom and
wanted to make sure that NORAD got the information. ID2 OP
13:36:10
Female in background heard saying, “We have an aircraft six miles west of …” (interrupted). ID OP
13:36:11
MCC reiterates that QUIT 2-5 will be under Center control but to send them to Baltimore and stating that NORAD just needs to be able to talk to them.
MCC OP
ID calls Indianapolis Center. No real information given except last position and altitude (35,000 feet, 38 41 N, 082 52 W, 12:56 Z, Heading 270, speed
unk). Indianapolis did not give NORAD the position information until 13:39, AFTER the estimated impact time of AAL77 with the Pentagon. ID OP
13:36:13
First indication of search target in Washington area heard. AST OP
13:36:15
Female in background, “…six miles east of the White House…” ID OP
13:36:20
Operator heard in background saying, “9 miles south of Baltimore – Washington International”. AST OP
13:36:45
Operator heard in background saying “…to the White House”. AST OP
13:36:57
“Bravo zero-three-two, right next to the NCA, search only.” AST OP
13:36:59
Female in background, “…six miles east losing altitude…” ID OP
13:37:11
NEADS takes direct control of QUIT 2-5 and 2-6 away from Giant Killer. Advises they are going direct to Washington with after-burners. Giant Killer
advises they are handing them off to Center at that time. MCC OP
13:37:17
“…turning into NCA…” AST OP
13:37:51
“…he’s fading…” AST OP
13:38:18
“The guy has faded…” AST OP
13:38:32
ID2 calls Washington and asks for more information on the Boston report. ID2 specifically is asking about the plane 6 miles southwest of the White
House. “Well Boston’s airspace does not even come close to that and I don’t know how they got their information but we don’t …” is the
response from Washington Center. After going silent for a few moments, he responds, “we don’t know anything about that ... it is probably just a
rumor.” He suggested that NORAD call National or Andrews. ID2 OP
13:41:21
Boston Military (Scoggins) calls with a report that a plane just hit the Pentagon. ID2 OP
13:41:52
“They are headed there now…freaking Giant Killer in their wisdom sent them out over the water, when we scrambled them to Washington.” SD2 OP
13:43:24
“Giant killer…we scrambled them out to Washington. Langley, Giant Killer sent them out over the water.” SD2 OP
13:43:37
Report of another aircraft sighted near the Pentagon.* MCC OP
* [Most likely GOFER06, a Minneapolis, MN Air Guard C-130 that had just departed Andrews AFB. Andrews TRACON diverted GOPHER 6 to investigate the
plane approaching the DC area. After the impact of AAL77, GOPHER 6 turned back to avoid the smoke column and resumed its flight path. The sight of
GOFER06 near the Pentagon alarmed many on the ground, not knowing if it was another attack or not.]
13:45:33
QUIT 2-5 sent to CAP point, 38 25 N, 077 02 W. MCC OP
13:49:03
MCC notified that the Pentagon had been hit. MCC OP
13:49:26
Washington Center calls ID franticly asking about a plane heading into the DC area squawking 7777 (Mode 3), “…I need to know if anyone knows
anything about that aircraft.” These are the QUIT interceptors from Langley.* ID OP
* [This is particularly odd since they felt no need to call NEADS when they were tracking a primary target only plane of the same modus operandi as
the planes that hit the WTC towers minutes earlier.]
13:55:23
“Okay, Cleveland’s line is still busy, Boston is the only one passing us information, Washington doesn’t know sh*t!” ID2 OP
13:58:34
QUIT 2-5 and 2-6 over the Pentagon. 84 RADES
Conclusions?
Boston Military (Scoggins) is the only source of information that NEADS has for the approach of AAL77. He is making it a point to pass on information
that he is overhearing in the Boston ARTCC. His initial report (13:20:56) of an aircraft headed towards Washington is second-hand information and
mistakes the identification as AAL11. This may have caused momentary confusion but none-the-less established that a 3rd hijacked aircraft was headed
towards the DC area. The only significant problem this caused for the MCC is that he scrambled the Langley fighters to Baltimore-Washington
International (north of DC) in anticipation of an approach from the north.
At 13:24:02 Boston Military calls back and gives the position of the approaching aircraft as “southwest” of Washington, but has no specific
coordinates for it. This is exactly what the 84 RADES radar shows at that time. This confirms that Washington ARTCC was tracking AAL77’s primary
return although Scoggins was still under the impression that it was being identified as AAL11. For reasons unknown, the Washington ARTCC was NOT
sharing this information with NEADS after multiple phone calls by them to get more information. This includes a call (13:33:58) with the Washington
ARTCC Operations Manager who does identify the 3rd missing plane as AAL77, but makes no mention of the primary track headed straight for the
Washington, DC area. After AAL77 impacts the Pentagon, the Washington ARTCC is still (13:38:32) denying that they are tracking anything headed towards
the Washington area and calls it a “rumor.”
It is well documented in media accounts that the Dulles TRACON was watching the final approach of AAL77. Further, GOPHER 6 (the infamous C-130) was
diverted by the Andrews TRACON to intercept and identify the approaching plane. It has been argued that these were the first indications that the
Washington ARTCC had of the plane.
However, Boston Military indicates they were watching it very early on when it was southwest of the area and recognized it as a threat. This minor
detail, if Washington ARTCC had been forthcoming with NEADS would have resulted in the MCC scrambling Langley to intercept a plane coming from the
west, not the north.
The next significant issue is why the Langley fighters were handed off by the Langley TRACON to Giant Killer instead of the Washington ARTCC. Giant
Killer followed the SOP for airspace under its control and sent the fighters out over the Atlantic. NEADS was very specific in where to send the
fighters which would have required a hand off to the Washington ARTCC, and it is not clear at this point why that did not happen. Once the error has
been noted and corrected by NEADS, it is at least three minutes before the planes are turned to the north and then only after NEADS takes direct
control from Giant Killer. At 13:49:26 Washington ARTCC calls NEADS wanting to know what the planes are entering their airspace (squawking 7777). So
undoubtedly, something has gone very wrong with the handoff by Giant Killer to Washington ARTCC. What many have not understood (including myself until
recently) is that the Andrews and Langley TRACON’s are all under the Washington ARTCC control.
In the quest to learn what went wrong, what went right is often overlooked. From the NORAD tapes and 84 RADES radar data, it is clear that what went
right was NEADS. They responded professionally and rapidly to a very unique and dangerous situation with minimal resources and information. For some
reason, Washington ARTCC did not keep NEADS in the loop on what it knew about the approach of AAL77 and the Langley TRACON mishandled the scramble of
the Langley fighters, both of which are civilian components of the FAA. Why this happened is an avenue ripe for further research.