Posted on 06/17/2004 10:14:45 AM PDT by TexKat
WASHINGTON - Chilling radio transmissions by the Sept. 11 hijackers from the planes they commandeered were played for the first time Thursday, providing a vivid and horrifying portrait as they unfolded on that fateful day before confused air traffic controllers and military personnel.
"We have some planes. Just stay quiet and you'll be O.K. We are returning to the airport," a hijacker, believed to be Mohamed Atta, the alleged ringleader of the 19 hijackers, told the passengers of American Airlines Flight 11. The tape was played for the audience at the commission's hearing.
That transmission was the first inkling federal air traffic controllers had of the hijacking of American Airlines Flight 11 shortly after takeoff from Boston's Logan Airport at 8 a.m. EDT. Atta had been speaking to the plane's passengers, but the radio transmission was received at the FAA's Boston Center.
As FAA controllers tried desperately to contact the plane, which had changed its transponder code, they picked up another transmission, also apparently from Atta.
"Nobody move. Everything will be O.K. If you try to make any moves, you'll endanger yourself and the airplane. Just stay quiet."
Controllers tried to contact the military, even trying to raise a military alert center in Atlantic City, N.J., unaware that facility had been phased out. The FAA finally reached the appropriate military office at 8:37 a.m.
"We have a problem here," the FAA's Boston Center told NEADS, the North East Air Defense Sector. "We have a hijacked aircraft headed towards New York, and we need you guys to, we need someone to scramble some F-16s or something up there, help us out."
"Is this real-world or exercise?" asked the incredulous NEADS officer.
"No, this is not an exercise, not a test," the FAA responded.
F-15 fighter jets were ordered scrambled from Otis Air Force Base at 8:46 a.m. Forty seconds later, Flight 11 hit the north tower of the World Trade Center.
For United Flight 175, the second plane hijacked from Logan, the situation was similarly disjointed. That plane took off at 8:14 a.m. from Boston's Logan Airport. At 8:47 a.m., almost the same time as Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center, Flight 175 changed its transponder code.
At 8:58 a.m., a controller at the FAA's New York Center told another New York controller, "We might have a hijack over here, two of them." At 9 a.m., a New York Center manager tells the FAA Command Center in Herndon, Va., "We have several situations going on here. It's escalating big, big time. We need to get the military involved with us."
Flight 175 hit the south tower of the World Trade Center at 9:03 a.m.
The third hijacked plane, American Airlines Flight 77, had left Dulles International Airport near Washington at 8:20 a.m. At 8:54 a.m., the plane deviated from its flight plan. It was tracked by an Indianapolis-based controller, then unaware of the other hijackings. When the controller couldn't raise the aircraft, it notified other agencies that it was missing and may have crashed.
The military did not know about the search for Flight 77. Instead, it was mistakenly told by the FAA's Boston Center that American's Flight 11 was still in the air and headed toward Washington. Fighter jets were ordered scrambled from Langley Air Force Base at 9:24 a.m. and headed toward Washington.
FAA radar, meanwhile, had apparently been able to track Flight 77, but for what the commission said were technical reasons, the information was not immediately displayed to controllers at the Indianapolis center. It eventually re-emerged on radar, and by 9:32 a.m. controllers at Dulles observed that it was headed to Washington.
The FAA asked an unarmed military cargo plane to identify and follow the airliner. At 9:38 a.m., the pilot of that plane reported to the Washington control tower that it "looks like that aircraft crashed into the Pentagon (news - web sites), sir."
United Airlines Flight 93 had taken off from Newark at 8:42 a.m. Its last transmission was at 9:28 a.m. A minute later, the Cleveland-based FAA controller heard "a radio transmission of unintelligible sounds of possible screaming or a struggle from an unknown origin."
There was a second transmission, with sounds of screaming someone yelling, "Get out of here, get out of here." Then came another transmission. "Keep remaining sitting. We have a bomb on board."
Between 9:34 a.m. and 9:38 a.m., the controller observed United 93 climbing and moved several aircraft out of its way. Then another transmission came from the plane.
"Uh, is the captain. Would like you all to remain seated. There is a bomb on board and are going back to the airport, and to have our demands (unintelligible). Please remain quiet."
United 93 was spotted by another aircraft and reported to be "waving its wings." It crashed in Pennsylvania at 10:03:11 a.m. near Johnstown.
Ideal world: Anger would be directed at the president who presided over the country for eight years and under whose responsibility the strengthening of our air defenses lay.
Real world: MSM directs popular anger towards the president who had been on the job for seven months.
Someone help me out here. What is the significance of their changing their transponder codes? They won't show up on ATC radar?
"No, this is not an exercise, not a test," the FAA responded.
I kind of find this strange.No code for hijacked aircraft? Just a "No,this is not and exercise or test".
So, if a terrorist wanted to have planes shot down,they could hijack a control tower and call someone to say planes had been hijacked.In turn,jets would be scrambled and shoot them down? (Sounds like good makings for a book or movie)
I hope someone is thinking about this,because if I can come up with that scenario,I'm sure someone else could.
Didn't Clinton close the Atlantic City base, leaving the nearest fighter jets to NYC up in Massachusetts?
"Air raid Pearl Harbor! This is no drill!"
I guess not much has changed since 12/7/41
ping
Kind of shoots a big hole in the story coming from the tin foilers who believe The Pentagon wasn't hit by a plane but was blown up by a bomb.
If you really want to get POed...look at the dates on this list:
BUSH APPOINTEE CONFIRMATION LIST
DEFENSE:
Donald Rumsfeld Secretary of Defense 01/20/2001
Paul Wolfowitz Deputy Secretary 02/28/2001
Dov Zakheim Undersecretary, Comptroller 05/01/2001
Edward Aldridge Undersecretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics 05/08/2001
William James Haynes General Counsel 05/17/2001
Victoria Clarke Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs 05/17/2001
Powell A. Moore Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs 05/01/2001
Charles S. Abell Assistant Secretary for Force Management 05/03/2001
David S.C. Chu Undersecretary for Personnel and Readiness 05/26/2001
Douglas J. Feith Undersecretary for Policy 07/12/2001
Jack Dyer Crouch II Assistant Secretary for International Security Policy 08/01/2001
Stephen A. Cambone Principal Deputy Undersecretary for Policy 07/19/2001
James G. Roche Secretary of the Air Force 05/24/2001
Thomas White Secretary of the Army 05/24/2001
Gordon England Secretary of the Navy 05/22/2001
Susan Morrisey LivingstoneUndersecretary of the Navy 07/19/2001
Peter W. Rodman Assistant Secretary for International Security Affairs 07/12/2001
Marvin Sambur Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Research and Development (Air Force) 11/08/2001
Alberto Jose Mora General Counsel, Navy 07/19/2001
Michael Montelongo Assistant Secretary for Financial Management and Comptroller, Air Force 07/12/2001
Steven John Morello, Sr. General Counsel, Army 07/12/2001
Thomas P. Christie Director, Operational Test and Evaluation 07/12/2001
Dionel M. Aviles Assistant Secretary for Financial Management & Comptroller, Navy 07/12/2001
Michael W. Wynne Deputy Undersecretary for Acquisition and Technology 07/12/2001
Diane K. Morales Deputy Undersecretary for Logistics and Material Readiness 07/12/2001
William A. Navas, Jr. Assistant Secretary for Manpower & Reserve Affairs, Navy 07/12/2001
Michael Parker Assistant Secretary for Civil Works, Army 09/26/2001
Reginald Jude Brown Assistant Secretary for Manpower & Reserve Affairs, Army 07/12/2001
John Stenbit Assistant Secretary for Command, Control, Communications & Intelligence 08/03/2001
Ronald M. Sega Director, Defense Research and Engineering 08/03/2001
John J. Young, Jr. Assistant Secretary for Research, Development & Acquisition, Navy 07/12/2001
Joseph E. Schmitz Inspector General 03/21/2002
Michael L. Dominguez Assistant Secretary for Manpower, Reserve Affairs, Installations & Environment, Air Force 08/03/2001
Nelson F. Gibbs Assistant Secretary for Installations & Environment, Air Force 08/03/2001
H.T. Johnson Assistant Secretary (Navy) for Installations & Environment 08/03/2001
Mario P. Fiori Assistant Secretary (Army) for Installations & Environment 08/03/2001
Sandra L. Pack Assistant Secretary (Army) for Financial Management & Comptroller 11/08/2001
William Winkenwerder, Jr. Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs 10/16/2001
Mary L. Walker General Counsel, Air Force 11/08/2001
Claude M. Bolton, Jr. Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Logistics & Technology, Army 12/20/2001
Dale Klein Assistant to the Secretary for Nuclear and Chemical and Biological Defense Programs 11/08/2001
Peter B. Teets Undersecretary of the Air Force 12/07/2001
R. L. Brownlee Undersecretary of the Army 11/08/2001
Thomas Forrest Hall Assistant Secretary for Reserve Affairs 10/02/2002
Charles S. Abell Deputy Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness 11/12/2002
STATE:
Colin Powell Secretary of State 01/20/2001
Marc Grossman Undersecretary for Political Affairs 03/23/2001
Grant S. Green Undersecretary for Management 03/28/2001
Richard Armitage Deputy Secretary of State 02/12/2001
William H. Taft IV Legal Advisor 04/05/2001
John R. Bolton Undersecretary for Arms Control & Intl. Sec. 05/08/2001
James Andrew Kelly Asst. Secretary for E. Asian & Pacific Affairs 04/26/2001
Lincoln P. Bloomfield Asst. Secretary for Political Military Affairs 05/22/2001
John D. Negroponte Representative to the United Nations 09/14/2001
Ruth Davis Director General of Foreign Service 05/25/2001
Paula J. Dobriansky Undersecretary for Global Affairs 04/26/2001
William J. Burns Assistant Secretary for the Near East 05/25/2001
Donald Burnham Ensenat Chief of Protocol 05/25/2001
Walter Kansteiner Assistant Secretary for African Affairs 05/25/2001
Francis X. Taylor Coordinator for Counterterrorism 07/11/2001
Pierre-Richard Prosper Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues 07/11/2001
Otto J. Reich Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Recess
Charlotte L. Beers Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy 09/26/2001
Lorne W. Craner Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor 05/25/2001
Clark Kent Ervin Inspector General 08/01/2001
Carl W. Ford Assistant Secretary for Intelligence & Research 05/25/2001
Colonel Paul V. Kelly Assistant Secretary for Legislative & Intergovernmental Affairs 05/25/2001
Elizabeth Jones Assistant Secretary for European Affairs 05/25/2001
Christina B. Rocca Assistant Secretary for South Asian Affairs 05/25/2001
Dennis L. Schornack Commissioner, International Joint Commission Recess
William A. Eaton Assistant Secretary for Administration 07/11/2001
Patricia de Stacy Harrison Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs 09/26/2001
Patrick Francis Kennedy US Representative for U.N. Management and Reform 09/14/2001
John F. Wolf Assistant Secretary for Nonproliferation 09/26/2001
John F. Turner Assistant Secretary for Oceans, International Environmental & Scientific Affairs 10/30/2001
John V. Hanford, III Ambassador at Large for International Religious 01/25/2002
Sichan Siv U.S. Representative to the UN for Economic & Social Affairs 11/09/2001
Richard S. Williamson U.S. Alternative Representative to the UN for Special Political Affairs 11/09/2001
Christopher B. Burnham Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Resource Management 01/25/2002
Arthur E. Dewey Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees & Migration 01/25/2002
Grant S. Green Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources 12/04/2001
David O'Brien Martin Commissioner, International Joint Commission 01/08/2002
Stephen G. Rademaker Assistant Secretary for Arms Control 08/01/2002
Paula A. DeSutter Assistant Secretary for Verification & Compliance 08/01/2002
Kim R. Holmes Assistant Secretary for International Organizations 11/14/2002
James Cunningham Deputy to US Ambassador & Permanent Representative to the UN Holdover
Alan Larson Undersecretary for Economic & Business Affairs Holdover
Earl A. Wayne Assistant Secretary for Economic & Business Affairs Holdover
Norman Wulf Special Representative for Nuclear Nonproliferation Holdover
Richard A. Boucher Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Holdover Holdover
David G. Carpenter Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security Holdover
Only Rummy and Powell were in place for 7 months, the remaining staff was in 6 months or less.
ATC assigns transponder codes to all aircraft under active control. This is a 4 digit code. Special codes are set by the pilot in emergencies, like hijackings, but in this case the transponder code was simply changed, making it apparent that something was amiss, but not exactly what.
It is very typical of security. The only security involved is the identity of the approriate number to call.
Very much like the phone company. Phone phreaks would find out the right internal phone numbers and could do almost anything in the phone system since it was assumed that only people with legitimate business would have the right number.
Ping.
The transponder is the IFF (Identify, Friend or Foe)
I can't figure out such people. I have personally spoken with two people who saw the plane hit the Pentagon. I have a close friend whose brother was killed there and who was in the burning building within hours looking for his brother, and smelled the jet fuel and saw pieces of the aircraft.
We shall never forget.
Seven months during which the pilots for the four flights were already in the country.
I don't know. What did we have in Atlantic City? No matter, this is a case of hindsight.
Are we to conclude from this that the passenger attempt to retake the aircraft failed... or perhaps partially failed, incapacitating the one qualified pilot and leaving one of the "muscle" squad flying the aircraft?
Interesting.
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