NORAD'S Response Times, Sept. 11, 2001

September 18, 2001

NORAD'S Response Times, Sept. 11, 2001

PETERSON AFB, Colo. --The following timelines show NORAD’s response to the airliner hijackings on September 11, 2001.
 
* All times are Eastern Daylight Time; NEADS = North East Air Defense Sector, NORAD
** Scramble = Order to get an aircraft airborne as soon as possible
***Estimated = loss of radar contact
**** Flight times are calculated at 9 miles per minute or .9 Mach
***** The FAA and NEADS established a line of open communication discussing AA Flt 77 and UA Flt 93
 


American Airlines Flight 11 – Boston enroute to Los Angeles
FAA Notification to NEADS 0840*
Fighter Scramble Order (Otis Air National Guard Base, Falmouth, Mass. Two F-15s) 0846**
Fighters Airborne 0852
Airline Impact Time (World Trade Center 1) 0846 (estimated)***
Fighter Time/Distance from Airline Impact Location  Aircraft not airborne/153 miles
   
United Airlines Flight 175 – Boston enroute to Los Angeles
FAA Notification to NEADS 0843
Fighter Scramble Order (Otis ANGB, Falmouth, Mass. Same 2 F-15s as Flight 11) 0846
Fighters Airborne 0852
Airline Impact Time (World Trade Center 2) 0902 (estimated)
Fighter Time/Distance from Airline Impact Location approx 8 min****/71 miles
   
American Flight 77 –Dulles enroute to Los Angeles
FAA Notification to NEADS 0924
Fighter Scramble: Order (Langley AFB, Hampton, Va. 2 F-16s) 0924
Fighters Airborne 0930
Airline Impact Time (Pentagon) 0937(estimated)
Fighter Time/Distance from Airline Impact Location approx 12 min/105 miles
   
United Flight 93 – Newark to San Francisco

FAA Notification to NEADS
N/A *****
Fighter Scramble: Order (Langley F-16s already airborne for AA Flt 77)  
Fighters Airborne (Langley F-16 CAP remains in place to protect DC)  

Airline Impact Time (Pennsylvania)
1003 (estimated)
Fighter Time/Distance from Airline Impact Location approx 11 min/100 miles
(from DC F-16 CAP)

 

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