9/11 Timeline
CloseSelect oral histories and text courtesy of the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum
Hijackers Take Flight Training
Beginning 14 months before the hijackings, several of the terrorists take flight training courses. They acquire flight...
07/01/2000
5:45AM
Hijackers Pass Security Screening
Hijackers Mohammed Atta and Abdulaziz al-Omari pass through security at Portland International Jetport in Maine...
09/11/2001
7:35AM
Hijackers Board Flight 77
At Dulles International Airport, five hijackers board American Airlines Flight 77 bound for Los Angeles: Khalid al Midhar...
09/11/2001
7:59AM
Flight 11 Takes Off
American Airlines Flight 11 takes off fourteen minutes behind its scheduled departure time. Seventy-six passengers...
09/11/2001
8:14AM
Last Routine Communication with Flight 11
09/11/2001
8:14AM
Flight 175 Takes Off
United Flight 175 takes off from Logan Airport, fourteen minutes behind its scheduled departure time...
09/11/2001
8:16AM
Classes Begin in Shanksville
In a small town of Shanksville, Pennsylvania, classes begin at Shanksville-Stonycreek School, a yellow brick building housing 490 students in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12.
09/11/2001
8:19AM
Flight 11 Crew Contacts Airline
Veteran flight attendant Betty Ong alerts ground personnel to the hijacking of Flight 11...
09/11/2001
8:20AM
Flight 77 Takes Off
American Airlines Flight 77, en route to Los Angeles, departs Washington Dulles International Airport ten minutes delayed.
09/11/2001
8:21AM
Flight 11 Transponder Turned Off
10/11/2001
8:23AM
American Airlines Attempts to Contact Flight 11 Cockpit
09/11/2001
8:24AM
Flight 11 Hijacker Transmission
In an attempt to communicate with Flight 11's cabin, hijacker Mohammed Atta mistakenly contacts air traffic control. Minutes later...
09/11/2001
8:37AM
Air Traffic Control Contacts the Military
After hearing Atta's transmissions, air traffic controller Peter Zalewski contacts the Northeast Air Defense Sector (NEADS)...
09/11/2001
8:42AM
Last Radio Communication with Flight 175
09/11/2001
8:42AM
Flight 93 Takes Off
Scheduled to leave at 8:00am, within minutes of the other hijacked flights, United Airlines Flight 93 departs Newark International Airport...
09/11/2001
8:46AM
Crash of Flight 11
Hijackers crash Flight 11 into floors 93-99 of the World Trade Center's North Tower, killing everyone on board and hundreds...
09/11/2001
8:46AM
Emergency Services Mobilize
The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) and New York Police Department (NYPD) dispatch units to the World Trade Center within seconds...
09/11/2001
8:50AM
Alerting the President
White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card tells U.S. President George W. Bush that a plane has hit the World Trade Center. The President is...
09/11/2001
8:51AM
Last Routine Radio Communication for Flight 77
09/11/2001
8:54AM
United Airlines Attempts to Contact Flight 175's Cockpit
09/11/2001
8:55AM
Flight 77 Makes Unauthorized Turn South
09/11/2001
8:56AM
Flight 77 Transponder Turned Off
Flight 77's transponder, a transmitter that broadcasts the course, speed, and altitude of the airplane, is turned off at 8:56 am. The hijacker...
09/11/2001
8:59AM
On Board Flight 175
As hijacked Flight 175 approaches the World Trade Center, a crew member and several passengers manage to contact loved ones...
09/11/2001
9:00AM
Flight 77 Turns Eastward
Flight 77 turns eastward from a point near the junction of West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky. Hani Hanjour, who had received Federal Aviation...
09/11/2001
9:03AM
Crash of Flight 175
Hijackers crash Flight 175 into floors 77 to 85 of the World Trade Center's South Tower, killing everyone on the plane and hundreds inside...
09/11/2001
9:05AM
Alerting the President
U.S. President George W. Bush is on a pre-scheduled visit to a second-grade classroom in Sarasota, Florida when White House Chief of Staff...
09/11/2001
9:05AM
American Airlines Headquarters Aware that Flight 77 is Hijacked
09/11/2001
9:12AM
On Board Flight 77
Flight attendant Renee May calls her mother, Nancy, and tells her that Flight 77 has been hijacked. She says hijackers took control...
09/11/2001
9:15AM
FAA New York Center Advises NEADS
The Federal Aviation Administration's New York Center advises the North East Air Defense Sector...
09/11/2001
9:16AM
American Airlines Headquarters Aware that Flight 11 Crashed into the WTC
09/11/2001
9:20AM
United Airlines Headquarters Aware that Flight 175 Crashed into the WTC
09/11/2001
9:21AM
FAA Boston Center Advises NEADS
The Federal Aviation Administration's Boston Center advises the North East Air Defense Sector (NEADS) that American Airlines Flight 11 is airborne and...
09/11/2001
9:24AM
NEADS Deploys Fighter Jets
The North East Air Defense Sector (NEADS) scrambles fighter jets from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia in search of American Airlines Flight 11.
09/11/2001
9:24AM
Flight 93 Receives Warning
Flight 93 receives a warning about a possible cockpit intrusion...
09/11/2001
9:27AM
Last Routine Radio Communication with Flight 93
09/11/2001
9:28AM
Takeover of Flight 93
While traveling 35,000 above eastern Ohio, United 93 suddenly drops 700 feet. Eleven seconds into the descent, the Federal Aviation Authority's (FAA)...
09/11/2001
9:30AM
NORAD Deploys Fighter Jets
There was not enough warning time for North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to take effective action. Langley Air Force Base in Virginia launches...
09/11/2001
9:32AM
Dulles Airport Tower Observes Radar of Fast-Moving Aircraft
This aircraft was later identified as American Airlines Flight 77.
09/11/2001
9:32AM
Threatening Language from Flight 93 Cockpit
A controller at Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center overhears this transmission from Flight 93...
09/11/2001
9:33AM
Flight 77 Heads for the Pentagon
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport tower passes to the Secret Service Operations Center in Washington the alarming...
09/11/2001
9:34AM
Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) Advises North East Air Defense Sector (NEADS) that Flight 77 is Missing
09/11/2001
9:34AM
Approach of Flight 77
Flight 77, positioned about 3.5 miles west-southwest of the Pentagon, starts a 330-degree descending turn to the right. At the end of the turn...
09/11/2001
9:36AM
Flight 93 Crew Contacts United Airlines
Flight Attendant Sandy Bradshaw dials the United Airlines Maintenance Facility in San Francisco...
09/11/2001
9:36AM
Evacuation of Vice President Cheney
Secret Service Agents evacuate U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and his aides from his office in the White House to the Presidential Emergency Management...
09/11/2001
9:37AM
Crash of Flight 77
Flight 77 strikes the western facade of the Pentagon at the 1st floor level just inside Wedge 1 near Corridor 4, and proceeds diagonally at an approximate...
09/11/2001
9:41AM
Transponder for Flight 93 is Turned Off
The FAA’s Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center loses United 93’s transponder signal, but continues to track the flight using primary radar and visual sightings from other aircraft...
09/11/2001
9:42AM
The First Response
Much of the assistance rendered by rescuers came from the improvised action of individuals or small groups...
09/11/2001
9:42AM
Nationwide Ground Stop
The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) halts all flight operations at U.S. airports, the first time in U.S. history that air traffic nationwide has been halted.
09/11/2001
9:45AM
Evacuation of the White House and U.S. Capitol
Evacuations begin at the White House and Capitol Building. Throughout the morning, officials evacuate high-profile buildings, government offices, landmarks...
09/11/2001
9:47AM
Arlington County Fire Department Assistant Chief Responds
Arlington County Fire Department (ACFD) Assistant Chief James Schwartz arrives at the Pentagon. Making...
09/11/2001
9:50AM
Incident Command Post Set Up at Pentagon
Assistant Chief James Schwartz and FBI Special Agent Christopher Combs...
09/11/2001
9:50AM
Phone Calls Provide Flight 93 Passengers and Crew with Vital Information
Thirteen of Flight 93’s 40 passengers and crew manage to alert loved ones and...
09/11/2001
9:55AM
President Bush Evacuated to Air Force One
President George W. Bush is airborne in Air Force One after hearing about the attacks. The pilot, after conferring with the lead Secret Service agent on...
09/11/2001
9:57AM
Fight for Flight 93
The passengers and crew on Flight 93 begin their assault on the Flight 93 hijackers...
09/11/2001
9:59AM
Collapse of the South Tower
After burning for 56 minutes, the South Tower collapses in 10 seconds, killing approximately 600 workers and first responders...
09/11/2001
10:03AM
Crash of Flight 93
With sounds of the passengers and crew still fighting the terrorists, Flight 93 crashes into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania at...
09/11/2001
10:06AM
Shanksville Students Take Shelter
To prevent passengers from retaking the airplane, hijackers deliberately crash Flight 93 in a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, killing...
09/11/2001
10:07AM
Cleveland Center Notifies NEADS
Unaware that Flight 93 had already crashed, Cleveland Center passes the aircraft’s last known latitude and longitude to NEADS (Northeast Air Defense Sector)...
09/11/2001
10:08AM
Shanksville Volunteer Fire Company Responds
While en route to the Flight 93 crash site, the Shanksville Volunteer Fire Company calls for all available emergency medical personnel...
09/11/2001
10:10AM
President Bush Makes Statement
Air Force One changes direction and heads west, eventually landing at Barksdale Air Force Base near Shreveport, Louisiana. While the aircraft refuels...
09/11/2001
10:13AM
Rescuers Evacuate the Pentagon
Battalion Chief Tim Lasher of Reagan National notices a crack in the structure and Captain Dennis Gilroy sees a cornice of the Pentagon move. Captain...
09/11/2001
10:15AM
United Airlines and NEADS Aware that Flight 93 Has Crashed in PA
United Airlines Headquarters is aware that Flight 93 has crashed in Pennsylvania. The Federal Aviation Administration's Washington Center advises the...
09/11/2001
10:15AM
Collapse of the Pentagon E Ring
The damaged section of the Pentagon's outermost offices, known at the E Ring, collapses. No rescue workers are injured. Narrower than...
09/11/2001
10:20AM
Complete Evacuation of the Pentagon Ordered
Admiral Balisle and other rescue workers receive word that security authorities ordered a complete...
09/11/2001
10:28AM
Collapse of the North Tower
The North Tower of the WTC collapses after burning for 102 minutes, killing approximately 1,400 in the building and surrounding area.
09/11/2001
10:30AM
American Airlines Headquarters Confirms Flight 77 Crash into Pentagon
09/11/2001
10:40AM
Pentagon First Responders Return to Building
After evacuating the Pentagon due to a pending threat of another attack, the firefighters and other emergency...
09/11/2001
11:02AM
Evacuation of Lower Manhattan
New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani calls for the evacuation of over one million residents, workers and tourists from...
09/11/2001
12:16PM
American Air Space cleared
The last commercial flight above the continental United States lands.
09/11/2001
2:50PM
President Bush Returns to the White House
Air Force One arrives at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. President Bush then overrules his aides' continuing reluctance to have him return to Washington...
09/11/2001
3:15PM
Evidence Points to al Qaeda
During the president's video teleconference with key administration officials, Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet reports that evidence points...
09/11/2001
5:20PM
Collapse of 7 WTC
World Trade Center Building 7 collapses after burning for most of the day. There are no causalities because the 47-story building had been evacuated that morning.
09/11/2001
6:00PM
Pennsylvania Governor Conducts Press Conference
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge flew over the crash site in a helicopter, then landed nearby and conducted a press conference...
09/11/2001
6:42PM
Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld Holds a Press Conference
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld holds a brief press conference in the Pentagon to demonstrate to the...
09/11/2001
8:30PM
President George W. Bush Addresses the Nation
After emphasizing that the first priority is to help the injured and protect against any further attacks, he said: "We will...
09/11/2001
Pentagon Fire Extinguished
The Arlington County Fire Department (ACFD) retains control for 10 days, relinquishing it on September 21 to the FBI after the fire...
09/21/2001
Death of Osama bin Laden
Washington, D.C.-- (May 2, 2011) –It was announced last night that Osama bin Laden, the face of global terrorism...