9/11: Why Weren't U.S. Fighters Scrambled?
Date: Friday, May 30 @ 11:34:26 MDT
Topic: International Politics

by Rdavis84
May 31, 2003

The methodology for intercepting a runaway Lear 35 [golfer Payne Stewart's charter, whose craft crashed on impact] ----the story clearly establishes that F16's were scrambled to intercept this bizjet within 25 minutes of its failure to report to controllers upon its reaching its cleared alttitude of 39,000 ft. These F16's were scrambled ONLY upon the loss of a radio communication: the transponder never ceased to function.

the F16 out of Eglin, 500 miles behind the Lear, traveling at its posted max speed, mach 2 , caught the Lear 35 in 30 minutes.

Let's look at some possible intercept times...
An F-15 strike eagle flies at 1850 nmps. That is Mach 2.5 . This aircraft, according to the USAF's own website, goes from "scramble order" to 29000 feet in 2.5 minutes. New York City is 71 miles from McGuire AFB in NJ . At Mach 2, this plane could travel from the ground in NJ to NYC, in under 7 minutes.

1. Andrews AFB [11 miles SE of DC]. 2-3 minutes

2. Bolling AFB [3 miles south of US CAPITOL]. 2-3 minutes

3. Dover AFB [3 miles southeast of Dover, Delaware]----- Depends on Target of Intercept (5-10 minutes)

4. Hanscom AFB [17 miles northwest of Boston] ------ (as above)

5. Langley AFB [3 miles north of Hampton, VA] ------- (as above)

6. McGuire AFB [18 miles southeast of Trenton, NJ] ----(as above)
Source: cnn.com
8:45 a.m.: A large plane, possibly a hijacked airliner, crashes into one of the World Trade Center towers, tearing a gaping hole in the building and setting it afire.

9:03 a.m.: A second plane, apparently a passenger jet, crashes into the second World Trade Center tower and explodes. Both buildings are burning.

9:17 a.m.: The FAA shuts down all New York City area airports.

9:21 a.m.: New York City Port Authority orders all bridges and tunnels in the New York City area closed

9:30 a.m.: Bush, speaking in Florida, says the country has suffered an "apparent terrorist attack."

9:40 a.m.: The FAA halts all flight operations at U.S. airports, the first time in U.S. history that air traffic nationwide has been halted.

9:43 a.m.: An aircraft crashes into the Pentagon, sending up a huge plume of smoke. Evacuation begins immediately. (Note -- Approx. 1 Hr. after first plane hit the WTC, 26 minutes after the FAA shut down airports in the NYC area, 13 minutes after Bush states a terrorist attack occured)

10:10 a.m.: United Airlines Flight 93 crashes in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh.

10:24 a.m.: The FAA reports that all inbound transatlantic aircraft flying into the United States are being diverted to Canada.

10.48 a.m.: Police confirm the crash of a large plane in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

10:54 a.m.: Israel evacuates all diplomatic missions.

11:18 a.m.: American Airlines reports it has lost two aircraft. American Flight 11, a Boeing 767 flying from Boston to Los Angeles, had 81 passengers and 11 crew aboard. Flight 77, a Boeing 757 en route from Washington's Dulles Airport to Los Angeles, had 58 passengers and six crew members aboard. Flight 11 slammed into the north tower of the World Trade Center.

11:26 a.m.: United Airlines reports that United Flight 93, en route from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco, has crashed in Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh. The airline also says that it is "deeply concerned" about United Flight 175.

11:59 a.m.: United Airlines confirms that Flight 175, from Boston to Los Angeles, has crashed with 56 passengers and nine crew members aboard. Emergency personnel at the scene say there are no survivors.

12:30 p.m.: The FAA says 50 flights are in U.S. airspace, but none are reporting any problems.

2 p.m.: Senior FBI sources tell CNN they are working on the assumption that the four airplanes that crashed were hijacked as part of a terrorist attack. (There were supposed Phone Calls from Passengers Reporting Hijackings)

6 p.m.: Explosions are heard in Kabul, Afghanistan, hours after terrorist attacks targeted financial and military centers in the United States. The attacks occurred at 2:30 a.m. local time. Afghanistan is believed to be the home of Saudi militant Osama bin Laden, who U.S. officials say is possibly behind Tuesday's deadly attacks. U.S. officials say later that the United States had no involvement in the incident whatsoever.

"Ask yourself this: Why were no fighter jets scrambled from Andrews Air Force Base near Washington D.C. to stop a jumbo jet that was tracked on radar that had gone all the way to the Ohio border and turned around and headed back to Washington DC.....which hit the Pentagon 58 MINUTES after the first WTC tower was hit? Why were those jets not scrambled, when all our leaders were in danger? Clearly after the 2nd plane hit the Towers any thinking person knew an attack was underway, so why wouldn't the DC airspace be secured FIRST?"

The Lack of Action doesn't make sense.

***

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