Timeline September 11, 2001

5:45 am Hijackers Mohammed Atta and Abdulaziz al- mari board a shuttle !li"ht !rom #ortland Maine to $oston%s &o"an 'nternational Airport, (here the) connect to &os An"eles-bound American Airlines *li"ht 11+ ,er the ne-t hour and a hal!, se,enteen other hijackers clear securit) checks at &o"an Airport, .e(ark 'nternational Airport, and /ashin"ton 0ulles Airport+ All presumabl) carr) kni,es, bo- cutters or other concealed (eapons on their person or in carr)-on lu""a"e+ Althou"h ei"ht are randoml) ta""ed !or additional screenin" and a "ate a"ent !la"s t(o as suspicious, none are pre,ented !rom boardin" their intended !li"hts+ 7:59 am American Airlines *li"ht 11 takes o!! !ourteen minutes behind its scheduled departure+ 8:14 am 1nited Airlines *li"ht 123 takes o!! !rom &o"an Airport, 14 minutes behind its scheduled departure+ 8:19 am 5eteran !li"ht attendants $ett) n" and Madeline 6Am)7 S(eene), (ith a combined 28 )ears o! e-perience, alert "round personnel to the hijackin" o! *li"ht 11+ The) sta) on the line !or almost the entire duration o! the !li"ht a!ter its seizure b) terrorists, rela)in" ke) details about the attack+ Actin" on n" and S(eene)%s in!ormation, American Airlines alerts the *$'+ n" and S(eene) pro,ide the hijackers% seat numbers, jumpstartin" the in,esti"ation that (ill become the lar"est in the a"enc)%s histor)+ 8:20 am American Airlines *li"ht 22, en route to &os An"eles, departs /ashin"ton 0ulles 'nternational Airport ten minutes dela)ed+ 8:24 am 'n an attempt to communicate (ith *li"ht 11%s cabin, hijacker Mohammed Atta mistakenl) contacts air tra!!ic control+ Minutes later, he makes a second unintended transmission to "round control+ 8:47 am A!ter hearin" Atta9s transmissions, air tra!!ic controller #eter :ale(ksi contacts the .ortheast Air 0e!ense Sector ;.<A0S=, a di,ision o! the militar) that de!ends .orth American airspace, to report the hijackin"+ 'n response to :ale(ski9s (arnin", .<A0S alerts Air .ational >uard jets located at tis Air *orce $ase in ?ape ?od, Massachusetts+ The pilots9 orders are to locate and tail hijacked *li"ht 11+ 8:42 am 1nited Airlines *li"ht @A departs .e(ark 'nternational Airport a!ter a len"th) air tra!!ic dela) on the tarmac+ *li"ht @A (as scheduled to lea,e .e(ark at BC00 am, (ithin minutes o! the other hijacked !li"hts+ 8:46 am Hijackers crash *li"ht 11 into !loors @A-@@ o! the /orld Trade ?enter9s .orth To(er, killin" e,er)one on board and hundreds (ithin the buildin"+ 8:46 am The *ire 0epartment o! .e( Dork ;*0.D= and .e( Dork #olice 0epartment ;.D#0= dispatch units to the /orld Trade ?enter (ithin seconds o! *li"ht 11%s crash+ n site, #ort Authorit) #olice 0epartment ;#A#0= o!!icers be"in e,acuatin" the .orth To(er+ #A#0 headEuarters in Ferse) ?it), .e( Ferse) dispatches additional o!!icers !rom other command posts to the /orld Trade ?enter+ 8:50 am /hite House ?hie! o! Sta!! Andre( ?ard tells 1+S+ #resident >eor"e /+ $ush that a plane has hit the /orld Trade ?enter+ The #resident is ,isitin" an elementar) school in Sarasota, *lorida+

8:55 am Your attention, please, ladies and gentlemen. Building 2 is secure. There is no need to evacuate Building 2. If you are in the midst of evacuation, you may use the re-entry doors and the elevators to return to your office. Repeat, Building 2 is secure. -Announcement made by ort Authority official via ublic Address inside the !outh To"er 8:59 am As hijacked *li"ht 123 approaches the /orld Trade ?enter, a cre( member and se,eral passen"ers mana"e to contact lo,ed ones and authorities on the "round+ 9:02 am An e,acuation order is made in the South To(er+ Three minutes a!ter initiatin" the e,acuation o! the South To(er, the #ort Authorit) broadcasts e,acuation orders o,er the To(ers9 public address s)stem+ An estimated 10,000 to 14,000 people are alread) e,acuatin" the /orld Trade ?enter+ #ay I have you attention, please. Repeating this message$ the situation occurred in Building %. If the conditions "arrant on your floor, you may "ish to start an orderly evacuation. - ort Authority Announcement& '$(2 am 9:03 am Hijackers crash *li"ht 123 into !loors 22 to B3 o! the /orld Trade ?enter%s South To(er, killin" e,er)one on the plane and hundreds inside the buildin"+ 0urin" its !inal nose di,e, the plane lost altitude at a rate o! appro-imatel) 3,000 !eet per minute+ 9:05 am 1+S+ #resident >eor"e /+ $ush is on a pre-scheduled ,isit to a second "rade classroom in Sarasota, *lorida (hen /hite House ?hie! o! Sta!! Andre( ?ard in!orms him that a second plane has crashed into the /orld Trade ?enter+ 9:10 am The .D#0 calls a second &e,el 4 Mobilization, brin"in" its total deplo)ment to 2,000 men and (omen+ The *0.D issues a second *i!th Alarm, dispatchin" 2A3 !ire!i"hters, 20 en"ines and ei"ht ladder companies+ ther companies and o!!-dut) personnel, not directl) called, respond to the attacks+ 9:12 am *li"ht attendant Genee Ma) calls her mom, .anc), and tells her *li"ht 22 has been hijacked+ She sa)s hijackers tool control, herdin" passen"ers and cre( to the back coach class+ Genee asks .anc) to contact American Airlines headEuarters+ Minutes later, passen"er $arbara lson calls her husband 1+S+ Solicitor >eneral Ted lson, to report the hijackin"+ He in!orms her o! the attacks on the /orld Trade ?enter+ 9:15 am As !irst responders arri,e and deplo) into the stricken buildin"s, tenants continue to e,acuate the .orth and South To(ers+ Hijacked *li"ht 11 se,ered all three .orth To(er emer"enc) stair(ells, makin" e,acuation impossible !or those ali,e on or abo,e the impact !loors+ ne stair(ell in the South To(er remains passable, althou"h it is choked (ith debris+ <i"hteen use it to e,acuate !rom abo,e the impact zone+ 9:30 am The .e( Dork ?it) !!ice o! <mer"enc) Mana"ement e,acuates their headEuarters at 2 /T? a!ter the Secret Ser,ice (arns them about additional hijacked planes belie,ed to be headin" !or .e( Dork+ 9:36 am Secret Ser,ice a"ents e,acuate 1+S+ 5ice #resident 0ick ?hene) and his aides !rom his o!!ice in the /hite House to the #residential <mer"enc) peration ?enter, a ?old /ar-era bunker beneath the /hite House+ 9:37 am Hijackers crash *li"ht 22 into the #enta"on9s (estern !aHade, killin" the 3@ on board the plane and 123 militar) and ci,ilian personal inside the buildin"+ A hundred and si- are se,erel) injured in the ensuin" !ire 9:42 am The *ederal A,iation Authorit) ;*AA= "rounds all !li"hts o,er, or bound !or, the continental 1nited States+

9:45 am <,acuations be"in at the /hite House and ?apitol buildin"+ Throu"hout the mornin", o!!icials e,acuate hi"h-pro!ile buildin"s, "o,ernment o!!ices, landmarks, and public spaces in response to rumors o! escalatin" attacks+ 9:57 am Thirteen o! *li"ht @A%s 40 passen"ers and cre( mana"ed to alert lo,ed ones and authorities to the plane9s hijackin"+ At least si- learn about the attacks on the /orld Trade ?enter or the #enta"on+ 'n response, *li"ht @A%s passen"ers are belie,ed to ha,e collecti,el) ,oted to mount a counterattack to the hijackers+ 9:59 am A!ter burnin" !or 38 minutes, the South To(er collapses in 10 seconds, killin" appro-imatel) 800 (orkers and !irst responders in the buildin" and surroundin" areas+ 10:03 am To pre,ent passen"ers !rom retakin" the airplane, hijackers deliberatel) crash *li"ht @A in a !ield in Somerset ?ount), #enns)l,ania, killin" the !ort) on board+ The crash site is appro-imatel) 20 minutes !l)in" time !rom /ashin"ton 0? 10:15 am The dama"ed section o! the #enta"on9s outermost o!!ices, kno(n as the < Gin", collapses+ .o rescue (orkers are injured+ 10:28 am The .orth To(er collapses a!ter burnin" !or 102 minutes, killin" appro-imatel) 1,400 in the buildin" and the surroundin" areas+ 11:02 am .e( Dork ?it) Ma)or Gudolph >iuliani calls !or the e,acuation o! o,er one million residents, (orkers and tourists !rom lo(er Manhattan+ 12:16 pm The last commercial !li"ht abo,e the continental 1nited States lands+ 'n total, air tra!!ic controllers "uide A,A00 commercial !li"hts and 1,200 pri,ate planes to airports in ?anada and else(here in the 1nited States+ &ocal authorities and residents create ad-hoc plans to pro,ide !ood and shelter to stranded tra,elers+ 12:30 pm Miraculousl), a section o! the .orth To(er%s stair(ell $ sur,i,es the buildin"%s ,iolent collapse, shieldin" 1A !irst responders and a ci,ilian e,acuee (ho are still attemptin" to e,acuate do(n the stairs+ /ithin t(o hours o! the to(er9s collapse, the !irst responders emer"e !rom the debris+ The) direct rescuers to the ci,ilian+ 1:00 pm Throu"hout the a!ternoon, ,olunteers, !irst responders, and construction pro!essionals arri,e to search !or sur,i,ors+ 5:20 pm $ecause lo(er Manhattan%s (aterlines ha,e been compromised, and *0.D cannot "et (ater to the !lames, /orld Trade ?enter $uildin" 2 collapses a!ter burnin" !or hours+ There are no casualties because the 42-stor) to(er had been e,acuated that mornin"+ Ho(e,er, the !all o! the buildin" sends !irst responders racin" a(a) !rom the collapsin" structure to sa,e their o(n li,es+ 8:00 pm Gescuers locate #A#0 S"t+ Fohn Mc&ou"hlin and !!icer /illiam Fimeno in the debris o! the /orld Trade ?enter+ The) !ree !!icer Fimeno a!ter three hours o! dan"erous tunnelin" (ork+ S"t+ Mc&ou"hlin%s rescue takes another ei"ht+ /orkers (ill e-tricate the ei"hteenth sur,i,or, >enelle >uzman-McMillan, !rom the remains o! Stair(ell $ on the a!ternoon o! September 12+ She (ill be the last person rescued ali,e+ 8:30 pm #resident >eor"e /+ $ush addresses the nation )America and out friends and allies *oin "ith all those "ho "ant peace and security in the "orld, and "e stand together to "in the "ar against terrorism.+ , resident -eorge .. Bush