9/11: We will never forget

As the events of Sept. 11, 2001, unfolded, most Americans — and many people across the world — were fixated on the events occurring in the United States, in New York City; in Arlington, Virginia; and then in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Horrified and in shock, citizens watched as the details of a series of organized terrorist attacks unfolded on U.S. soil.
Sept. 11 was the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history and the deadliest attack on the United States homeland since Pearl Harbor. Unlike Pearl Harbor, it was not an attack by a foreign government’s regular military forces. It was an attack by a foreign-based terrorist organization.
The 9/11 Commission identified 19 al-Qaeda terrorists who hijacked four commercial aircraft, and identified al-Qaeda as the organization responsible for planning and executing the attacks.
By the end of the day, two hijacked planes had struck the World Trade Center in New York City; one hijacked plane had struck the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia; and one hijacked plane had crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew members resisted the hijackers.
The attacks killed 2,977 victims, excluding the 19 hijackers.

The 9/11 Commission documented the day’s events.

Sept. 11, 2001, Event Log
[Based primarily on National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, The 9/11 Commission Report (2004); National Park Service, Flight 93 National Memorial; National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Times are Eastern Daylight Time and are approximate unless otherwise indicated.]

Before the attacks
7:03–7:39 a.m. - The four hijackers assigned to United Airlines Flight 93 check in at Newark International Airport. The flight is scheduled to travel from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco, California.

7:15–7:50 a.m. - The five hijackers assigned to American Airlines Flight 77 check in and board at Washington Dulles International Airport. Flight 77 is scheduled to travel to Los Angeles.
7:23–7:40 a.m. - The five hijackers assigned to United Airlines Flight 175 board at Boston Logan International Airport. Flight 175 is scheduled to travel to Los Angeles.
7:40 a.m. - American Airlines Flight 11 pushes away from its gate at Boston Logan International Airport.
7:59 a.m. - American Airlines Flight 11 takes off from Boston for Los Angeles. There are 92 people aboard: 76 passengers, 11 crew members, and 5 hijackers.
8:01 a.m. - United Airlines Flight 93 leaves the terminal at Newark. Its scheduled departure time was 8:01 a.m., but the aircraft does not take off until approximately 8:42 a.m.
8:14 a.m. - United Airlines Flight 175 takes off from Boston for Los Angeles. There are 65 people aboard: 56 passengers, 9 crew members, and 5 hijackers.
Around this time, Flight 11 is hijacked. Flight attendants and passengers begin reporting violence and problems in the cockpit.
8:20 a.m. - American Airlines Flight 77 takes off from Washington Dulles for Los Angeles. There are 64 people aboard: 53 passengers, 6 crew members, and 5 hijackers.
8:24 a.m. - A hijacker aboard Flight 11 accidentally transmits a message to air-traffic controllers. The transmission contains statements indicating that the aircraft has been taken over.
8:25 a.m. - Air-traffic controllers begin to understand that Flight 11 may have been hijacked. Controllers notify supervisors and other facilities.
8:37 a.m. - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) notifies the Northeast Air Defense Sector that Flight 11 may have been hijacked. Military fighter aircraft are ordered to investigate, but they do not reach the aircraft before it crashes.

First attacks in New York
8:46:40 a.m. - American Airlines Flight 11 crashes into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. The aircraft strikes the building between the 93rd and 99th floors.
The impact causes severe structural damage, destroys stairwells, ignites extensive fires, and traps many people above the impact zone. Emergency calls begin coming from people inside the tower.
8:50 a.m. - President George W. Bush is informed at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, that a plane has struck the World Trade Center. He initially believes it may have been a small aircraft accident.

8:51–8:54 a.m. - Flight 77 is hijacked. The aircraft changes direction and later turns east toward Washington, D.C. Its transponder is switched off, making it more difficult for controllers to follow.
8:52 a.m. - Passengers and crew members aboard Flight 175 begin making telephone calls. They report that the aircraft has been hijacked and that people may have been injured.
8:55 a.m. - An announcement is made at the South Tower that the building is secure and that people may return to their offices. Some occupants begin leaving, while others remain in the building.
8:59 a.m. - The Port Authority police commander at the World Trade Center orders the evacuation of both towers.
9:00 a.m. - A passenger on Flight 175 makes a final call to his father and reports that the situation aboard the aircraft is becoming critical.
9:03:11 a.m. - United Airlines Flight 175 crashes into the South Tower of the World Trade Center between the 77th and 85th floors.
The aircraft strikes the building at high speed and at an angle, causing a large fireball. Television networks broadcasting the North Tower attack capture the second impact live. It becomes clear that the disaster is a coordinated terrorist attack rather than an accident.

National response
9:05 a.m. - President Bush is informed that a second aircraft has struck the World Trade Center. His advisers tell him that the United States is under attack.
9:16–9:26 a.m. - Officials receive additional information about the hijacking of Flight 77. Barbara Olson, a passenger aboard the aircraft, makes telephone calls to her husband, Solicitor General Theodore Olson, and describes the hijacking.

9:24 a.m. - United Airlines dispatcher Ed Ballinger sends a warning to Flight 93 and other aircraft: “Beware any cockpit intrusion. Two aircraft in NY, hit Trade Center blds.”
9:25 a.m. - The FAA orders a nationwide ground stop. No new aircraft are permitted to depart from airports in the United States.
9:28 a.m. - Flight 93 is hijacked over eastern Ohio. Air-traffic controllers hear sounds of a struggle and a distress transmission from the cockpit.
9:30 a.m. - President Bush speaks briefly at the elementary school in Sarasota. He describes the attacks as an apparent terrorist attack and says that the United States will pursue those responsible.
9:32 a.m. - A transmission from Flight 93 is heard by air-traffic controllers: “Ladies and Gentlemen: Here the captain, please sit down keep remaining sitting. We have a bomb on board.”
The flight begins turning east toward Washington, D.C.
9:34 a.m. - The FAA Command Center is notified that Flight 93 has been hijacked and is heading southeast.
9:35 a.m. - Flight attendant Sandy Bradshaw contacts United Airlines and reports that the aircraft has been hijacked. Passengers and crew members begin learning about the attacks in New York through telephone calls to family members and friends.
9:37:46 a.m. - American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The aircraft strikes the western side of the building, killing everyone aboard and 125 people inside the Pentagon.
The impact causes a large fire, damages several sections of the building, and triggers an emergency response involving military, police, fire, and medical personnel.
9:42 a.m. - The FAA orders all aircraft already in the air to land at the nearest suitable airport. Thousands of aircraft begin diverting to airports in the United States and Canada.
9:45 a.m. - The White House and the U.S. Capitol are evacuated. Other federal buildings in Washington, D.C., are also cleared.
9:55 a.m. - The hijacker piloting Flight 93 enters the navigation code for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, indicating that the aircraft is being directed toward the Washington area.

Flight 93 and the World Trade Center collapse
9:57 a.m. - Passengers and crew members aboard Flight 93 begin their attempt to retake the cockpit. They know from telephone conversations that other hijacked aircraft have struck buildings.
Several passengers use a food-service cart and other objects as part of their effort to break through the cockpit door.
9:59 a.m. - The South Tower of the World Trade Center collapses, 56 minutes after being struck by Flight 175. The collapse sends a massive cloud of dust and debris through Lower Manhattan.
Emergency personnel near the tower are forced to flee. Many firefighters, police officers, paramedics, office workers, and civilians are killed.
10:02 a.m. - The struggle aboard Flight 93 continues. The aircraft enters a steep descent as the hijackers attempt to prevent the passengers from reaching the cockpit.
10:03:11 a.m. - United Airlines Flight 93 crashes into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Everyone aboard — 40 passengers and crew members and 4 hijackers — is killed.
The passengers and crew prevent the hijackers from reaching their intended target. The exact target was never conclusively established, although either the U.S. Capitol or the White House is generally considered the most likely possibility.
10:07 a.m. - The FAA notifies the North American Aerospace Defense Command that Flight 93 has crashed in Pennsylvania.
10:15 a.m. - A portion of the Pentagon collapses as a result of fire and structural damage. Rescue operations continue around the building.
10:28:22 a.m. - The North Tower of the World Trade Center collapses, approximately 102 minutes after Flight 11 struck it.
The collapse destroys much of the surrounding World Trade Center complex and produces a vast dust cloud across Lower Manhattan. Numerous emergency personnel and civilians are killed.

Response and actions
11:00 a.m. - New York City officials order a broad evacuation of Lower Manhattan because of continuing hazards, fires, smoke, falling debris, and the possibility of additional attacks.
12:15 p.m. - The airspace over the contiguous United States is cleared of commercial and private aircraft. More than 4,500 aircraft have been landed or diverted.
1:04 p.m. - President Bush, traveling aboard Air Force One, declares that the U.S. military is on heightened alert. Air Force One later departs for Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.
2:50 p.m. - President Bush arrives at Offutt Air Force Base. He participates in a secure National Security Council conference call with senior national-security officials.
3:00 p.m. - Rescue and recovery operations continue at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the Flight 93 crash site. Fires continue burning at Ground Zero.
3:30 p.m. - Central Intelligence Agency Director George Tenet tells President Bush and other senior officials that Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda are believed to be responsible for the attacks.
4:00 p.m. - Federal officials announce that there is no evidence of additional hijacked aircraft still in the air. Major airports remain closed, and commercial aviation across the country is suspended.
5:20:52 p.m. - World Trade Center Building 7 collapses after burning for nearly seven hours. The 47-story building had been damaged by debris from the collapse of the North Tower and had experienced extensive uncontrolled fires.
7:00 p.m. - President Bush returns to the White House. Military and law-enforcement agencies continue operating under heightened alert.
8:30 p.m. - President Bush addresses the nation from the White House.
He reports that thousands of lives have been lost, describes the attacks as deliberate acts of terrorism, promises to protect the American people, and states that the United States will pursue the terrorists and those who support them.

End-of-day status
By the end of Sept. 11, 2001:
• Four commercial airplanes had been hijacked.
• Two aircraft had struck the World Trade Center.
• One aircraft had struck the Pentagon.
• One aircraft had crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew members resisted the hijackers.
• The Twin Towers and World Trade Center Building 7 had collapsed.
• The Pentagon had suffered extensive damage and fire.
• U.S. airspace had been closed to civilian aircraft.
• Rescue, firefighting, medical, law-enforcement, and recovery operations were continuing at all three crash sites.
• A total of 2,977 victims had been killed in the attacks, not including the 19 hijackers, although those numbers were not yet known at end-of-day.