NORAD News Release: Response Times To Hijackings On September 11, 2001 Page 1 of 2

NORTH AMERICAN AEROSPACE DEFENSE COMMAND

News Release
DIRECTORATE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, NORTH AMERICAN AEROSPACE DEFENSE COMMAND,
250 S Peterson Blvd. Suite 116, PETERSON AFB, CO 80914-3190
(719) 554-6889 Website: http://www.norad.mil/

Contact: (719) 554-6889 18 September,

2001

NORAD's Response Times

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 Fit 77 and UA Fit 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 Fit 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)

-30-

http://www.standdown.net/noradseptemberl 8200 lpressrelease.htm 4/8/2004

 09/20/01

Notifications to Military

8:26am ATSCC informally notifies military representative there about AAL 11.

8 . 34 am Boston Center asks Cape TRACON to notify Otis Air Force Base about
AAL 11.
Cape TRACON notifies Otis Air Force Base.
Otis says needs authorization from North East Air Defense Sector
(NEADS)
8-38am Traffic Management Specialist at Boston Center calls NEADS and
Airspace Procedures Specialist at Boston Center calls NORAD. New
York Center notification record indicates they notified the military
regarding AAL 11.
8;40am NEAlDS logs indicate Boston Center notified them regarding AAL 11.

8-43am New York Center asks the military liaison specialist at NY Center to get
military assistance. (We believe this is still related to AAL 11 but it may
be the source of NORAD press release showing 8:43 am notification
regarding UAL 175. NY Center was working UAL 175 at that time but
everything was still normal.)
8:49-9:05am NY Center military liaison specialist contacts Huntress (military facility).

9-05am The NEADS logs show FAA notifying them regarding UAL 175_
ITaison specialist at
Center).
9:15am FAA Security Intelligence office contacts FBI, CIA, S-60, and state
regarding AAL 11.
9:16-9:25am NOIWON (CIA network) convened by CIA. NOIWON normally includes
the military.
9:20am Washington Ops. Center activates the primary^ which includes NMCC
and Secret Service.

9:24am NEADS logs show FAA notifying them regarding AAL 77.
o.26am FAA net logs show discussion of two airplanes hitting WTC (both
possibly AAL flights-one out of Boston; 1 out of Dulles). (Note: This
may be the source of 9:24 NEADS entry). NMCC and Secret Service on
the net.