Supports· strongSEP-E026
The Commission's staff on a scramble launched after a phantom aircraft
- what the source states
- "The report of American 11 heading south as the cause of the Langley scramble is reflected not just in taped conversations at NEADS, but in taped conversations in FAA centers, on chat logs compiled at NEADS, continental region headquarters, and NORAD, and in other records. Yet this response to a phantom aircraft, American 11, is not recounted in a single public timeline or statement issued by FAA or DOD. Instead, since 9/11, the scramble of the Langley fighters has been described as a response to the reported hijacking of American 77, or United 93, or some combination of the two." On notice: "NEADS received notice of the hijacking nine minutes before it impacted the North Tower. The nine minutes notice was the most the military would receive that morning of any of the four hijackings."
- what we infer
- Documented divergence between the recorded evidence and every public official account for nearly three years. This is negative evidence about official candor — and, in the same breath, the strongest evidence against the shootdown hypotheses, since fighters chasing an already-crashed aircraft were not intercepting anything.
- limitations
- A commission's staff characterizing agencies' public statements; the agencies' own explanations appear in the same hearing's testimony.
- Establishes inaccuracy, not intent.