UNCLASSIFED

COMMISSION SENSITIVE

MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD

Event: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) New York TRACON (N90)

Type of event: Interview with Jimmy Coschignano
Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2003
Special Access Issues: ID Check
Prepared by: Geoffrey Brown
Team Number: 8
Location: N90, 1515 Stewart Ave., Westbury, NY 11590
Participants - Non-Commission: Mary M. McCarthy (Office of Regional Counsel,
Eastern Region, FAA - One Aviation Plaza, RM 561, Jamaica, NY 11434: P 718-553-
3259, F 718-995-5699)
Participants - Commission: John Azzarello, Miles Kara, Geoffrey Brown

Note: Please refer to the interview recording for further details.

Background:

Coschignano started with the FAA in 1978.

September 11,2001 (9/11):

Coschignano started at New York Center on 9/11, and was working at an Air Space
Detail. Three days a week he was at ZNY on a detail. Mike McCormack, the Air Traffic
Manager for ZNY, asked anyone who was not essential to leave. He drove directly to
N90, andreported for duty. The drive took approximately thirty minutes. He was
traveling westbound on the expressway and saw smoke from the direction of Manhattan.
He is also a volunteer firefighter, and called his firehouse. The firehouse told him they
thought it was a small aviation aircraft.

He reported to the TMU at approximately 9:30 AM. He had just been promoted on the 9th
to an Operational Manager position. He stayed at N90 for the next forty-eight hours.

Coschignano noted that most of the coordination he was involved with was with news
'helicopters.

Communications:

Coschignano noted that there were two or three constant telecoms ongoing on 9/11. Ron
Regan and Bob Birch were also monitoring and participating in the telecoms.

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Regarding the Herndon Command Center line, Coschignano assumed there were
representatives from NORAD and FAA headquarters on that line at some point in the
forty-eight hour period following the attacks. Coschignano noted that his recollection of
who he spoke with is very vague, but he suggested Commission staff review those
recorded lines for clarification.

Coschignano noted to Commission staff that these lines were recorded.

Identity of aircraft:

Coschignano recalled there was hearsay from controllers that returned to the operations
floor from the break room that passed information on the possible identity of the aircraft
involved in the attacks. By the time he arrived at the TMU though, Coschignano recalled
that it was accepted that the aircraft were commercial airlines.

Coschignano recalled that in the background at some point in the course of the day there
was one aircraft that was unaccounted for. The discussion was that the aircraft passed
through Cleveland Center headed to Chicago. Coschignano noted it might have been a
Delta flight.

Coschignano recalled that Tom White was replaying radar data for the suspected. aircraft
the morning of 9/11. Coschignano believed White was working to recreate the flight path
of the aircraft.

Coschignano had very little experience with American Airlines Flight 11 (AA 11).
Coschignano recalled no knowledge of the false information that AA 11 was still
airborne after 8:46 AM. He had no knowledge of circumstance involving a Sikorski
helicopter out of Poughkeepsie.

Commission staff presented C with a transcript provided to Commission staffby the FAA
labeled Position 14, Parts 1-4. After review of a passage of the transcript, C explained
that the mention of a Sikorski helicopter in the transcript is not him. He noted to
Commission staff the belief that "Jimmy Johnson" and "Tommy White" may be the two
parties in the passage in question that discusses the Sikorski helicopter.

Military notification:

Coschignano's understanding of his responsibility in the case of an air event would have
been to contact New York Center on 9/11, but now he immediately contacts NEADS
through the DEN hotline.

Recommendation:

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Coschignano noted that there is now a worry for general aviation contact. He noted the
belief that there should be Night Hawk helicopters on immediate alert' near targets of
specific interest.

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