The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States Page: 31
xviii, 567 p: ill., maps; 24 cm.View a full description of this book.
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"WE HAVE SOME PLANES"
At the same time, the NEADS mission crew commander was dealing with
the arrival of the Langley fighters over Washington, D.C., sorting out what their
orders were with respect to potential targets. Shortly after 10:10, and having
no knowledge either that United 93 had been heading toward Washington or
that it had crashed, he explicitly instructed the Langley fighters: "negative-
negative clearance to shoot" aircraft over the nation's capital.172
The news of a reported bomb on board United 93 spread quickly at
NEADS. The air defenders searched for United 93's primary radar return and
tried to locate other fighters to scramble. NEADS called Washington Center
to report:
NEADS: I also want to give you a heads-up,Washington.
FAA (DC): Go ahead.
NEADS: United nine three, have you got information on that yet?
FAA: Yeah, he's down.
NEADS: He's down?
FAA: Yes.
NEADS: When did he land? 'Cause we have got confirmation-
FAA: He did not land.
NEADS: Oh, he's down? Down?
FAA: Yes. Somewhere up northeast of Camp David.
NEADS: Northeast of Camp David.
FAA: That's the last report. They don't know exactly where.173
The time of notification of the crash of United 93 was 10:15.174 The
NEADS air defenders never located the flight or followed it on their radar
scopes.The flight had already crashed by the time they learned it was hijacked.
Clarifying the Record
The defense of U.S. airspace on 9/11 was not conducted in accord with pre-
existing training and protocols. It was improvised by civilians who had never
handled a hijacked aircraft that attempted to disappear, and by a military unpre-
pared for the transformation of commercial aircraft into weapons of mass
destruction. As it turned out, the NEADS air defenders had nine minutes'
notice on the first hijacked plane, no advance notice on the second, no advance
notice on the third, and no advance notice on the fourth.
We do not believe that the true picture of that morning reflects discredit on
the operational personnel at NEADS or FAA facilities. NEADS commanders
and officers actively sought out information, and made the best judgments they
could on the basis of what they knew. Individual FAA controllers, facility man-
agers, and Command Center managers thought outside the box in recommend-
ing a nationwide alert, in ground-stopping local traffic, and, ultimately, in
deciding to land all aircraft and executing that unprecedented order flawlessly.
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National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (Website)
The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9-11 Commission), an independent, bipartisan commission created by congressional legislation and the signature of President George W. Bush in late 2002, is chartered to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, including preparedness for and the immediate response to the attacks. The Commission is also mandated to provide recommendations designed to guard against future attacks.
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9-11 Commission Final Report Press Conference (Video)
Recording of a press conference held by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States to announce the release of the final report and discuss the findings of the commission.
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National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, book, July 22, 2004; Washington, D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc123526/m1/50/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.