9/11 ATC Recording
**Timeline of events in video***
3:30: somewhere around this time mark, American Airlines Flight 11, a B767-200 hijacked out of Boston crashes into the 1 World Trade Center North Tower. The time is 846am EST
3:42: TWA Flight 3 is cleared for takeoff. 10 minutes into their flight as they're climbing southwest-bound over New Jersey the New York Air Route Traffic Control Center will alert them they are are on a near course collision with the now erratically flying hijacked United Airlines Flight 175, a B767-200 also out Boston. The time is 846am EST
6:06: Newark Controller Richard Tepper calls in reference to the plane crash into the World Trade Center. The Newark Controllers have a better view of the incident than the JFK controllers that day (reference and watch my Newark videos for a better understanding). Ironically enough just 6 minutes earlier Tepper and his fellow controllers have cleared a B757-200 United Flight 93 for takeoff servicing to San Francisco with 4 hijackers onboard This flight will be compromised nearly 40 minutes from now. The time is 850am EST
7:07: TACA Airlines Flight 580 is cleared for takeoff. 8 minutes from now as the plane is climbing through 17,000ft and talking to the N90 (New York Tracon) Liberty South Departure sector, the air traffic controller working Sector 55, controller Christopher Tucker, right over the Lib. South Departure airspace will frantically call up this sector and demand the controller to climb the TACA 580 to FL280 (28,000ft) in an effort to avoid a midair collision with the erratic and rouge Flight 175. The two planes will miss each other by several miles. The time is 851am EST
8:37: You can clearly hear other controllers in the background either notice or audibly observe the disaster unfolding in Manhattan with the North Tower. The time is 852am EST
10:03: NYPD Helicopter Recuse vehicles 14 and 6 are airborne and are requesting Class Bravo clearance to fly downtown toward the World Trade Center. Time is 853am EST
12:20: JetBlue Flight 23 is the first plane that morning on the Local Control frequency to report a plane flying into the World Trade Center. The time is 855am EST
12:43: America West Airlines Flight 193 (Cactus 193) is cleared for takeoff. Just moments later they will be under the control of ZNY ARTCC where controller Christopher Tucker will report to them the plane crash into the World Trade Center much to the shock and surprise of the pilots who at that point only thought a light plane hit the buildings with no foul. The time is 855am EST
17:18: Delta Airlines Flight 9900 is cleared for takeoff. Just moments later they'll also be taking to New York Center Sector 55 controller Christopher Tucker, who'll inquire from the pilots more visual information on the disaster happening on the ground at the Twin Towers. The time is 900am EST
17:28: Because of the erratic flying the hijackers are doing onboard Flight 175, they are cutting right through the south/southwestern and eastern departure routes out of JFK, Newark and LaGuardia. The several near misses in ZNY Sector's 55 and 42 cause the New York Center to stop and ground any airplane waiting for departure on the ground with the fixes and VOR's such as Idlewild, Breezy Point, Lanna, Biggy, Coltsneck, Robbinsville and so fourth as the departure fix until otherwise. Because of this JetBlue Flight 23, JetBlue Flight 79, and FedEx Flight 9741 are immediately grounded for takeoff. The time is 900am EST.
18:26: JetBlue Flight 17 is cleared for takeoff. A minute later they'll still be on the runway clarifying if they actually received takeoff clearance in the confusion about stopping departure fixes at 19:22. They will be the LAST flight on September 11, 2001 at Kennedy Airport to receive takeoff clearance before the shutdown of airspace at the airport. The time is 901-902am EST
20:20: The hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 flying southwest to northeast slams into the South Tower of 2 World Trade Center in Manhattan. The time is 903am EST
20:35: The controllers who've by this point have all witnessed the 2nd plane hit the towers have unanimously decided to stop all takeoffs from the field. This would wind up being a permanent decision and planes will return to the gate following this. The time is 903am EST
21:03: North American Airlines Flight 84 becomes the first plane to report on the frequency the 2nd plane crashing to the World Trade Center. The controller then announces all departures are stopped. The time is 904am EST
27:36: American Flight 587 is told to move up in sequence and follow an Airbus A-300. Exactly 8 weeks a day later they'll take off from this airport with he same controller working them and they'd crash just 4 miles off the airport killing everyone aboard due to pilot error. The time is 910am EST
29:16, American Eagle Flight 122 is the last plane to land at Kennedy following this at 30:02 the airport is officially closed. Time is 912-13am EST