Existing comment:
9:32am: The FAA's Cleveland Center notifies the Command Center at Herndon that Flight 93 may be hijacked.
9:36am: Cleveland Center asks Herndon Command Center if anyone has requested military assistance to intercept the hijacked plane and is told that this decision has to come from higher up the chain of command.
10:03am: Flight 93 crashes near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, less than 20 minutes flying time from Washington, DC.
10:07am: Cleveland Center, unaware that the plane has crashed, notifies the military that Flight 93 has been hijacked and provides its last known location.
10:10am: Fighters from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia establish a Combat Air Patrol over Washington, DC.
10:15am: The FAA informs the military that flight 93 has crashed.
10:31am: The military receives its first official Rules of Engagement for its fighters stating that the Vice President has authorized the military to shoot down aircraft that do not respond to its direction. The military commander waits several minutes before passing on the order because he is uncertain of its ramifications. |