*No sports quiz today.
Chronology: 9/11/01
[Source: 9/11 Commission report issued June 17, 2004]
American Airlines Flight 11
8 a.m. – Begins its takeoff from Logan Airport in Boston,
carrying 81 passengers, 11 crew members, and 24,000 gallons of
jet fuel, headed for Los Angeles.
8:09 – Monitoring of Flight 11 shifts from airport personnel to
the FAA’s Boston Center, in New Hampshire.
8:13 – Controller tells flight to “turn 20 degrees right,” and the
pilot acknowledges the order. Sixteen seconds later, controller
tells the pilot to climb to 35,000 feet. There is no response, and
the command is repeated as the controller tries to reach the pilot
and crew.
8:21 – Flight’s transponder, which broadcasts the planes
identification code, location and altitude, is turned off. The
controller informs his supervisor that he thinks something is
seriously wrong. The supervisor tells the controller to follow
standard procedures for handling a “no radio” plane.
8:24:38 – A transmission comes from the plane. “We have some
planes. Just stay quiet, and you’ll be OK. We are returning to
the airport.” But the controller doesn’t hear the words, just
unintelligible garble. The next transmission, however, comes
through clearly. “Nobody move. Everything will be OK. If you
try to make any moves, you’ll endanger yourself and the
airplane. Just stay quiet.” The controller alerts his supervisor
that the plane has been hijacked.
8:28 – Boston Center notifies the national Air Traffic Control
System Command Center in Herndon, Va., of the hijacking,
saying it believes the flight is headed toward the airspace under
the responsibility of New York Center. The flight makes a sharp
turn to the south.
8:32 – Command Center passes word of the possible hijacking to
the FAA Operations Center in Washington and sets up a
teleconference with the Boston, New York and Cleveland
Centers.
8:34 – Another transmission from Flight 11: “Nobody move
please. We are going back to the airport. Don’t try to make any
stupid moves.” Meanwhile, Boston Center attempts to notify the
military through the FAA’s Cape Cod facility and a former alert
site in Atlantic City, N.J.
8:37 – Boston Center reaches the regional offices of the North
American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad) in Rome, N.Y.
The office, known as Neads, puts its two stand-by F-15s on alert.
8:46 – The two F-15s are ordered scrambled, but Neads doesn’t
know where they should be sent, and spends several minutes
searching radar scopes for the plane.
8:46:40 – American Airlines Flight 11 hits the North Tower of
the World Trade Center.
8:50 – Word reaches Neads personnel that a plane has hit.
8:53 – The F-15s are airborne and looking for a target. They are
placed in a holding pattern off the Long Island coast.
United Airlines Flight 175
8:14 a.m. – Takes off from Logan Airport, carrying 65
passengers bound for Los Angeles.
8:37 – The pilots, along with others in the air in the area, are
asked by Boston Center if they have seen an “American 767,”
which is American 11. United 175’s pilots confirm they have
seen it, and the controller gives orders to turn United 175 away
from the immediate area as a safety precaution.
8:41 – United 175 leaves the airspace under control of Boston
Center and enters the realm of New York Center. The flight, by
chance, comes under the responsibility of the same controller
assigned to American 11, which by this point is known to have
been hijacked.
8:47 – United 175’s transponder code changes twice, but the
changes aren’t immediately noticed because the controller is
busy trying to locate American 11, which it turns out has just
crashed into the Trade Center. But they are unaware of this fact.
8:48 – A New York Center manager relays to the national Air
Traffic Control System Command Center teleconference
information from a stewardess on American 11. “OK. This is
New York Center. We’re watching the airplane. I also had
conversation with American Airlines, and they’ve told us that
they believe that one of their stewardesses was stabbed and that
there are people in the cockpit that have control of the aircraft,
and that’s all the information they have right now.”
8:51 – Controller notices the change in United 175’s transponder
code and asks the flight to go back to its proper code. There is
no response. Controller attempts to contact the crew.
8:53 – Controller contacts a second controller, worried that “we
may have a hijack” and says he can’t find United 175. A
commercial aircraft in the region radios in with reports heard
over the radio of a commuter plane having hit the World Trade
Center. The United 175 controller begins to hand off the other
flights on his scope and move others out of the way of an
unidentified aircraft, believed to be United 175, found moving
toward New York City.
8:55 – Controller-in-charge notifies a New York Center manager
that she believed United 175 had been hijacked. The manager
tried to notify the regional managers but was told they were
discussing a hijacked aircraft (presumably American 11) and
refused to be disturbed.
8:58 – New York Center controller looking for United 175 tells
another controller “we might have a hijack over here, two of
them.”
9:01 – A manager from New York Center tells the Command
Center, “We have several situations going on here. It’s
escalating big, big time. We need to get the military involved
with us…We’re, we’re involved with something else, we have
other aircraft that may have a similar situation going on here…”
Evidence indicates this was the only notice before the second
crash to either FAA headquarters or the Command Center in
Herndon that there was a second hijack.
9:01 – New York Center contacts New York terminal approach
control and asks for help locating United 175. The terminal says
it has an unidentified flight that looks like it’s coasting into one
of the small regional airports. They watch its radar trail descend
rapidly and then end abruptly over lower Manhattan.
9:03:02 – United Airlines Flight 175 crashes into the South
Tower of the World Trade Center. Meanwhile, Norad learns
about the second hijacked jet.
9:05 – Boston Center, having dissected the first garbled
transmission from American 11, informs the FAA Command
Center and the New England Region that the hijackers had said
“we have planes,” plural. Boston Center halts all scheduled
takeoffs from airports in its airspace. New York Center orders
no departures, landings or through-flights in its airspace.
9:08 – Norad’s local command, Neads, hears of the second
explosion at the Trade Center and decides against holding the
two F-15s, still stationed off the coast of Long Island, so far
away from Manhattan. As of this time, Norad had no indication
any other planes had been hijacked beyond the first two.
American Airlines Flight 77
8:20 a.m. – Begins takeoff from Dulles International Airport.
8:40 – Control of the flight is handed off from Washington
Center to Indianapolis Center. The Indianapolis controller, who
was handling 14 other planes at the time, acknowledges the flight
and instructs it to climb, which it does.
8:50 – Controller receives last transmission from American 77,
an acknowledgement of a routine direction.
8:54 – American 77 begins to move away from its approved
flight plan, turning slightly south.
8:56 – Flight disappears completely from the Indianapolis radar.
Controller notices and searches other radar screens and regions
along the path, tries the radios and then calls the airline. Not
knowing of the situation in New York, he believes the plane has
experienced serious mechanical or electrical failure. FAA radar
equipment continues to track the plane through 9:05, but a
technical glitch and poor radar coverage kept the information
from being displayed to controllers. During this time, the flight
has turned east, and when the glitch resolves itself, the plane is
east of its original heading and goes undetected by controllers
searching for the jet where it would have been had it continued in
a straight flight path.
9:00 – Indianapolis Center begins notifying other agencies,
including Air Force Search and Rescue and West Virginia State
police, that American 77 was missing and had possibly crashed.
They are asked to search for a downed jet.
9:05 – American 77 re-emerges on radar scopes heading east but
goes undetected by controllers looking for the plane in the west
and southwest.
9:09 – Loss of contact is reported to the FAA regional center.
9:20 – Indianapolis Center begins to hear of the hijackings and
starts to doubt the assumption that the plane has suffered a
mechanical failure. The Indianapolis manager discusses this
with the Command Center in Herndon.
9:21 – Command Center, FAA field facilities and American
Airlines are looking for Flight 77. Neads receives an errant FAA
report that American 11, which has already crashed, is headed
for Washington.
9:24 – FAA regional center passes the initial loss-of-contact
information on to FAA headquarters.
9:25 – Command Center notifies FAA headquarters that
American 77 was lost in the Indianapolis Center region and that a
search was under way. Command Center orders a nationwide
ground stop to all flights.
9:32 – Dulles controllers discover on radar an unidentified plane
moving east “at a high rate of speed,” and notify Reagan Airport
and the Secret Service. Reagan controllers order an unarmed
National Guard plane to follow the jet. It is identified by the
Guard pilot as a Boeing 757.
9:38 – The Guard pilot reports to Washington Tower, “looks like
that aircraft crashed into the Pentagon, sir.”
United Airlines Flight 93
8:42 a.m. – Takes off from Newark, more than 40 minutes late.
9:28 – Flight acknowledges a transmission from the controller,
the flight’s last normal contact with the FAA.
9:29 – Cleveland controller and pilots of nearby aircraft hear “a
radio transmission of unintelligible sounds of possible screaming
or a struggle from an unknown origin…” Controller responds:
“Somebody call Cleveland!” Second radio transmission
including screams and shouts, from an unknown source, of “Get
out of here, get out of here.” Cleveland Center controllers try to
identify the source of the transmissions and see that United 93
has descended about 700 feet.
9:30 – Controller polls other flights on his frequency and learns
several heard the screaming aboard Flight 93.
9:32 – Third radio transmission over the frequency from United
93: “Keep remained sitting. We have a bomb on board.” The
controller understands, but chooses to respond: “Calling
Cleveland center, you’re unreadable. Say again, slowly.” He
notifies his supervisor, who passes the notice up the chain of
command, alerting FAA headquarters by 9:34.
9:34-9:38 – Controller sees United Flight 93 climbing to 40,700
feet and moves several aircraft out of its way. Controller gets no
response while trying to contact the aircraft and asking whether
the pilot can confirm a hijacking.
9:34-10:08 – United Flight 93 reverses course over Ohio and
heads toward Washington. Command Center manager updates
FAA headquarters on Flight 93.
9:36 – Cleveland Center asks Command Center whether
someone has asked the military to launch fighter aircraft to
intercept United 93. Cleveland Center offers to contact nearby
military base. Command Center replies that the decision is up to
high-ranking FAA personnel working on the issue.
9:39 – Another radio transmission, this from hijacker Ziad
Jarrah: “Uh, this is the captain. Would like you all the remain
seated. There is a bomb on board and are going back to the
airport and to have our demands [unintelligible]. Please remain
quiet.” Controller responds: “United 93, understand you have a
bomb on board. Go ahead.” No response from Flight 93.
9:41 – Cleveland Center loses transponder signal from United
93. Controller locates the aircraft on primary radar, matches its
position with sightings from other aircraft and tracks flight as it
turns east, then south.
9:42 – Command Center learns from television news reports that
a plane has struck the Pentagon. Command Center orders all
airborne planes to land at the nearest airport.
9:46, 9:48 – Twice, Command Center notifies FAA headquarters
that United 93 is now “29 minutes outside of Washington, D.C.”
9:49 – Command Center suggests that someone at the FAA
should decide whether to request military assistance, but hears of
no decision.
9:53 – FAA headquarters informs Command Center that they are
talking about scrambling military aircraft to assist. Meanwhile,
Command Center receives a report from another aircraft that has
seen United 93 about 20 miles northwest of Johnstown, Pa.
10:01 – Command Center notifies FAA that another aircraft has
seen United 93 “waving its wings” and gyrating. This is
believed to be the result of the passengers’ assault on the cockpit.
10:03:11 – United Flight 93 crashes in Pennsylvania, 125 miles
from Washington, D.C.
10:07 – Cleveland Center’s military liaison informs Norad’s
Neads that United 93 has been hijacked, but Neads is unable to
locate the already-crashed plane on its radar.
10:08 – Command Center notifies FAA that there is a report of
black smoke believed to be from an aircraft on the ground in the
plane’s last known position, 15 miles south of Johnstown. The
report came from the same National Guard plane that 26 minutes
earlier had seen American 77 crash into the Pentagon.
10:17 – Command Center confirms for FAA headquarters its
conclusion that United 93 has crashed in Pennsylvania.
—
Stuff
–Case closed…Roger Federer is the greatest ever. The numbers
will prove it in another two to three years as well.
Career Grand Slams
Pete Sampras…14
Roy Emerson…12
Bjorn Borg…11
Rod Laver…11
Bill Tilden…10
Roger Federer…9
Federer, in defeating Andy Roddick, became the first to win both
Wimbledon and the U.S. Open three straight years.
–Maria Sharapova won her first U.S. Open title, defeating
Justine Henin-Hardenne.
“Oh….ahhh…..oh…..ahhh……ohhh…..ahhhh……oh…ahhh…
ahh…ohhh….ahhhh…..ohh…..ah…..ahh….ahhhhhhh!!!”
Just thought you’d like to see a transcript of Sharapova playing.
I watched the entire second set Saturday night and CBS did a
good job in covering the hand signals between Maria and her
coach; four fingers either signaling ‘forehand,’ or eat four
bananas, or have four drinks.
Regardless, coaching is illegal, but Sharapova only made things
worse by acting belligerently in the post-match press conference
as a reporter asked about the signals. Sharapova replied:
“Can you tell me, if someone tells me to eat a banana, do you
think that’s the reason I’m gonna win a match? Just give me
your honest opinion…Just take the rules away, take the books
away, just – just think.”
Earlier she had said, “I just won a Grand Slam. The last thing
I’m gonna talk about is some fingers or a banana, right? I hope
you got that one, thanks.”
Later, according to an account I read in the Los Angeles Times,
her camp went into damage control, with her agent saying the
four fingers meant four drinks.
Personally, I’m not a Maria fan.
–Nor am I a fan of Barry Bonds, that’s for sure! Crap…the
Steroid King is up to 731. He’s just going to torture us next year
as he pursues Aaron’s 755. Indict the guy, for crying out loud!
–Helluva race suddenly developed in the A.L. Central. After
building a huge lead early on, Detroit is stumbling.
[Thru Sunday]
Detroit…86-58
Minnesota…83-59
Chicago…82-61
[In games that the Twins’ Johan Santana has started at home,
Minnesota is 22-0 since Aug. 2005.]
–One of the surprises of the baseball year has been the
performance of Oakland’s Frank Thomas. Considered washed
up at age 38, Thomas has hit 35 homers this year and now has
482 for his career.
–No huge upsets in the Top 20 in college football this weekend,
though #9 Florida State barely escaped in defeating Troy 24-17,
and #11 Tennessee scraped by Air Force 31-30. Of course in the
showcase matchup, #1 Ohio State defeated #2 Texas, 24-7.
But next week’s it’s Bar Chat’s #1, Nebraska, going up against
the new #2, USC. [Notre Dame – Michigan should be fun, too, as
well as LSU – Auburn.]
Other games of note….Boston College defeated #18 Clemson in
OT, 2-0 Rutgers kicked Illinois’ butt 33-0, Akron stunned North
Carolina State 20-17,and my Wake Forest Demon Deacons
annihilated Duke 14-13……………..OK, maybe annihilate isn’t
the proper word to describe the fact we needed to block a last-
second field goal attempt to win but, hey, a win is a win, sports
fans. Wake retains its #2 ranking in the Bar Chat Top Ten, to be
released next time.
Actually, there was a big upset, Division I-AA New Hampshire
defeating Northwestern 34-17, though it was Northwestern’s first
home game since the death of Coach Randy Walker on June 29.
–I can’t believe my Jets won their first game, even if it was
Tennessee. I still say it’s their only win of the season.
–Formula One great Michael Schumacher announced his
retirement at the end of this season. He’s won a record seven
titles, 90 overall wins, and still has a chance to add to both.
But Schumacher is also one of the true dirtballs in the sport.
–And in NASCAR’s race for the Chase, the final ten competitors are:
Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch,
Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin, Jeff Burton,
Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne
Two-time champ Tony Stewart choked in falling from 8th to 11th
on the final weekend of qualifying at Richmond.
–Interesting intrigue involving the European Ryder Cup squad.
Thomas Bjorn, for one, is super ticked he wasn’t selected;
especially instead of Captain Ian Woosnam’s pick of Lee
Westwood.
You see, Woosnam had said earlier in the year that those playing
a lot in the States, as Westwood did, would be at a disadvantage
when it came to his selections, whereas Bjorn focused on playing
in Europe. Woosnam also picked Westwood (who didn’t play well
this year) over Sweden’s Carl Pettersson, who won in the U.S.
[Bjorn was 14th on the European points list while Westwood was
23rd. He’s also 35th in the World Golf Rankings vs. Westwood’s
#47 rank.]
But then I read in GolfWeek that U.S. Captain Tom Lehman has
talked to former Euro Ryder Cup Captain Bernhard Langer more
than a half-dozen times over the last eight months, but Woosnam
hasn’t called Langer.
“I don’t know what’s going on in his mind,” Langer said of
Woosie. “He probably thinks he is experienced enough to handle
it….but I thought he might pull me aside for five minutes.”
–The Washington Post’s Thomas Boswell on Tiger Woods and
the Ryder Cup.
“For Woods, the Cup may matter more than he admits, even to
himself. For Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, the event was an
afterthought. But over the past 21 years, as Europe has held the
Cup after seven of 10 meetings, the Ryder Cup has become the
greatest spectacle in golf, a worldwide TV mega-event. As a
result, a contemporary player’s record in the Ryder Cup is now at
least as important to his legacy as his record in any one major
tournament, even the Masters or U.S. Open….
“Just as USA Basketball can’t pretend that continual defeats in
international tournaments don’t damage our image as
basketball’s dominant country, American golfers can’t continue
the fiction that their tour is preeminent if – in the one showdown
that counts most – the Europeans not only win but win in
America and by large margins….
“With a 7-11-2 record, Woods has been a career-long
disappointment in Ryder Cup play. Despite his 12 major
championships, his lack of success as the world’s No. 1 player
leading his national team is the one significant smudge on his
career masterpiece….
“Is it fair that a Ryder Cup standard that never applied to Bobby
Jones, Ben Hogan or Nicklaus will be part of what measures
Woods’s career? Maybe not. But it surely will. Champions
must adjust to their times, even Tiger Woods.”
–Michelle Wie played in her 10th men’s event and failed to make
the cut for the ninth time, 78-79 at the European Masters. Wie
made waves earlier in the week by talking about playing in the
Ryder Cup some day. Ah, Michelle? First things first.
–Marion Jones was cleared of doping charges as her B sample
did not confirm an A result taken from the U.S. track and field
championships in June. But this hardly makes her innocent of all
past allegations.
–Serge Girard, 52, of France broke the record for the longest
journey without a full day of rest when he completed 11,840
miles in a 260-day Paris-to-Tokyo run…yes, run. Girard
averaged 45 miles a day through 19 countries.
–The other day in Lanesville, Ind., a 14-foot pet python crushed
its owner to death. Patrick Von Allmen told family members he
was going to treat the snake for a medical condition in the shed
out back, but when he didn’t return for three hours, family
members went to search for him and found his body. The snake
was discovered nearby. A medical examiner determined that the
death was consistent with asphyxiation caused by compression of
the neck and chest.
Top 3 songs for the week of 9/7/74: #1 “(You’re) Having My
Baby” (Paul Anka with Odia Coates) #2 “I Shot The Sheriff”
(Eric Clapton) #3 “Tell Me Something Good” (Rufus)…and…
#4 “Rock Me Gently” (Andy Kim) #5 “I’m Leaving It (All) Up
To You” (Donny & Marie Osmond) #6 “Can’t Get Enough Of
Your Love, Babe” (Barry White) #7 “Nothing From Nothing”
(Billy Preston) #8 “The Night Chicago Died” (Paper Lace) #9
“You And Me Against The World” (Helen Reddy) #10 “Then
Came You” (Dionne Warwicke & Spinners)
Next Bar Chat, Thursday.
