# 9/11 Timeline: The September 11 Attacks Minute by Minute

The four hijacked flights, the FAA and military response, the President's day and the fall of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, with the lead-up and aftermath. Zoom into the morning to follow each flight minute by minute, as the 9/11 Commission and NIST record it.

- Interactive timeline: https://www.timelinetraveler.com/timeline/9-11-timeline
- Last updated: 2026-09-24
- 109 events in 6 lanes: Flight 11 and the North Tower, Flight 175 and the South Tower, Flight 77 and the Pentagon, Flight 93, FAA and NORAD, President, government and context
- Times are shown in America/New_York.

## Events

Events are in date order. Indented events happen within the event above them.

- **Feb 26, 1993, 12:18** · President, government and context · **Truck bomb explodes under the World Trade Center**: At 12:18 p.m. a truck bomb left on level B-2 of the underground garage exploded, opening a hole seven stories up. The 9/11 Commission reports that six people died and more than a thousand were injured.
  Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 3](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch3.htm); [9/11 Memorial & Museum, FAQs](https://www.911memorial.org/911-faqs)
- **Aug 1996** · President, government and context · **Bin Laden issues his first public fatwa**: Usama Bin Ladin issued a self-styled fatwa calling on Muslims to drive American soldiers out of Saudi Arabia, according to the 9/11 Commission.
  Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 2](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch2.htm)
- **Feb 1998** · President, government and context · **Bin Laden and Zawahiri publish a second fatwa**: Bin Ladin and Ayman al Zawahiri arranged for an Arabic newspaper in London to publish a fatwa in the name of a "World Islamic Front." The 9/11 Commission calls it Bin Ladin's February 1998 declaration of war.
  Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 2](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch2.htm)
- **Aug 7, 1998** · President, government and context · **Al Qaeda bombs US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania**: Bombs hit the embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam about five minutes apart. The Nairobi blast killed 12 Americans and 201 others; the Dar es Salaam blast killed 11 more, according to the 9/11 Commission.
  Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 2](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch2.htm); [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 4](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch4.htm)
- **Jan 15, 2000** · Flight 77 and the Pentagon · **First two hijackers arrive in Los Angeles**: Nawaf al Hazmi and Khalid al Mihdhar, later among the hijackers of American 77, arrived in Los Angeles and settled in San Diego, according to the 9/11 Commission.
  Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 7](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch7.htm)
- **Oct 12, 2000** · President, government and context · **USS Cole attacked in Aden, Yemen**: Al Qaeda operatives in a small boat packed with explosives attacked the Navy destroyer, killing 17 crew members and wounding at least 40. The Commission says Bin Ladin supervised the operation directly.
  Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 6](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch6.htm)
- **Apr 2001** · President, government and context · **The other hijackers begin arriving in the US**: The hijackers the Commission calls the "muscle," who would help seize the cockpits, began arriving in the United States in late April 2001.
  Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 7](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch7.htm)
- **Aug 6, 2001** · President, government and context · **Daily brief: "Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in US"**: The President's Daily Brief carried this article. The Commission says it was the 36th PDB item that year about Bin Ladin or al Qaeda and the first about an attack in the US. President Bush told the Commission it was historical in nature.
  Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 8](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch8.htm)
- **Sep 11, 2001, 06:00 – 21:00** · President, government and context · **September 11, 2001**: Nineteen hijackers took over four airliners. Two hit the World Trade Center, one the Pentagon, and one crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back. Both towers and 7 World Trade Center collapsed.
  Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm); [Wikipedia, Timeline for the day of the September 11 attacks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_for_the_day_of_the_September_11_attacks)
  - **Sep 11, 2001** · President, government and context · **The toll: 2,977 people killed**: The 9/11 Memorial counts 2,977 victims from 90 nations: 2,753 in New York, 184 at the Pentagon and 40 on Flight 93. The FDNY lost 343. The Commission's 2004 report gave 2,973.
    Sources: [9/11 Memorial & Museum, FAQs](https://www.911memorial.org/911-faqs); [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 9](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch9.htm)
  - **Sep 11, 2001, 06:00 – 10:30** · President, government and context · **The morning of September 11**: From the first hijackers' flight out of Portland, Maine, to the collapse of the North Tower. The 9/11 Commission reconstructed this period from radar, cockpit recorders, phone calls and air traffic tapes.
    Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 06:00** · Flight 11 and the North Tower · **Atta and Omari fly from Portland to Boston**: Mohamed Atta and Abdul Aziz al Omari boarded a 6:00 a.m. flight from Portland, Maine, to Boston's Logan Airport. Atta was selected by the CAPPS prescreening system, which only meant his checked bags were held until he boarded.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 07:15** · Flight 77 and the Pentagon · **Hijackers check in for American 77 at Dulles**: Khalid al Mihdhar and Majed Moqed checked in at 7:15. At the checkpoint both set off the first metal detector; Moqed and later Nawaf al Hazmi were hand-wanded and let through.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 07:23 – 07:28** · Flight 175 and the South Tower · **Five hijackers board United 175**: Marwan al Shehhi and four others, none of them selected by CAPPS, boarded between 7:23 and 7:28. The plane pushed back from the gate at 7:58.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 07:31 – 07:40** · Flight 11 and the North Tower · **Five hijackers board American 11**: Atta, Omari and Satam al Suqami sat in business class and Wail and Waleed al Shehri in first class. They boarded between 7:31 and 7:40, and the plane pushed back from the gate at 7:40.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 07:39 – 07:48** · Flight 93 · **Four hijackers board United 93 at Newark**: Ziad Jarrah and three others boarded between 7:39 and 7:48 and sat in first class. Ahmad al Haznawi was selected by CAPPS, so his checked bag was screened for explosives.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 07:59 – 08:46:40** · Flight 11 and the North Tower · **American Airlines Flight 11**: A Boeing 767 from Boston to Los Angeles, flown by Captain John Ogonowski and First Officer Thomas McGuinness, with nine flight attendants and 81 passengers, including the five hijackers.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 07:59** · Flight 11 and the North Tower · **American 11 takes off from Boston**: The flight left Logan International Airport, bound for Los Angeles. It had been scheduled to depart at 7:45.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:14** · Flight 11 and the North Tower · **Hijacking of American 11 begins**: The flight acknowledged a routine instruction from Boston Center, then ignored an order to climb to 35,000 feet sixteen seconds later. The Commission concludes the hijacking began at 8:14 or shortly after.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:19** · Flight 11 and the North Tower · **Flight attendant Betty Ong reports the hijacking**: Calling American's reservations office in Cary, North Carolina, Ong said the cockpit was not answering and someone had been stabbed. Her call lasted about 25 minutes.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:21** · Flight 11 and the North Tower · **American 11's transponder is turned off**: The Boston Center controller told his supervisor something was seriously wrong with the plane, though neither yet suspected a hijacking.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:24:38** · Flight 11 and the North Tower · **"We have some planes"**: A hijacker keyed the radio, apparently meaning to address the passengers: "We have some planes. Just stay quiet, and you'll be okay." Boston Center heard it. From the next transmission the controller knew it was a hijacking.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:25** · Flight 11 and the North Tower · **Flight attendant Amy Sweeney calls Boston**: Madeline "Amy" Sweeney reached American's flight services office in Boston. After being cut off she reconnected and reported the hijacking, the stabbings and the hijackers' seat numbers to manager Michael Woodward.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:27** · Flight 11 and the North Tower · **American 11 turns south**: A minute after Betty Ong reported the plane was "flying erratically," Flight 11 turned south toward New York.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:44** · Flight 11 and the North Tower · **Sweeney: "We are flying way too low"**: Nydia Gonzalez lost phone contact with Ong. About the same time Sweeney told Woodward the plane was in a rapid descent and flying very low. Seconds later her call ended.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:46:40** · Flight 11 and the North Tower · **Flight 11 hits the North Tower**: American 11 struck the upper North Tower, cutting through floors 93 to 99, killing everyone aboard and an unknown number in the tower. Accounts differ by seconds: the 9/11 Commission gives 8:46:40, NIST 8:46:30.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm); [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 9](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch9.htm); [NIST NCSTAR 1, Final Report on the Collapse of the World Trade Center Towers](https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/NCSTAR/ncstar1.pdf)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:14 – 09:03:11** · Flight 175 and the South Tower · **United Airlines Flight 175**: A Boeing 767 from Boston to Los Angeles, flown by Captain Victor Saracini and First Officer Michael Horrocks, with seven flight attendants and 56 passengers.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:14** · Flight 175 and the South Tower · **United 175 takes off from Boston**: The flight departed Logan Airport as American 11 was being hijacked, and reached its cruising altitude of 31,000 feet by 8:33.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:42** · Flight 175 and the South Tower · **United 175's pilots report a suspicious transmission**: The crew told New York Center they had heard someone key the mike after leaving Boston and say "everyone stay in your seats." It was the flight's last communication with the ground.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:42 – 08:46** · Flight 175 and the South Tower · **United 175 is hijacked**: The hijackers attacked sometime between 8:42 and 8:46, using knives, Mace and the threat of a bomb. A flight attendant later reported both pilots had been killed.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:47** · Flight 175 and the South Tower · **United 175's beacon code changes**: Seconds after American 11 hit the North Tower, United 175 changed beacon codes twice within a minute. The New York Center controller, who was also searching for American 11, did not notice for several minutes.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:52** · Flight 175 and the South Tower · **Calls from United 175 report the hijacking**: Passenger Peter Hanson called his father in Connecticut, and a male flight attendant called a United office in San Francisco to report that both pilots had been killed.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:58** · Flight 175 and the South Tower · **United 175 turns toward New York City**: After flying southwest, the plane took a heading toward New York. At 9:02 a New York controller warned a colleague: "it looks like another one coming in."
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:03:11** · Flight 175 and the South Tower · **Flight 175 hits the South Tower**: United 175 struck the South Tower from the south, crashing through the 77th to 85th floors and killing everyone aboard. The 9/11 Commission gives 9:03:11; NIST gives 9:02:59.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm); [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 9](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch9.htm); [NIST NCSTAR 1, Final Report on the Collapse of the World Trade Center Towers](https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/NCSTAR/ncstar1.pdf)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:20 – 09:37:46** · Flight 77 and the Pentagon · **American Airlines Flight 77**: A Boeing 757 from Washington Dulles to Los Angeles, flown by Captain Charles F. Burlingame and First Officer David Charlebois, with four flight attendants and 58 passengers.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:20** · Flight 77 and the Pentagon · **American 77 takes off from Dulles**: The flight pushed back at 8:09 and took off at 8:20. It reached its cruising altitude of 35,000 feet at 8:46.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:51 – 08:54** · Flight 77 and the Pentagon · **American 77 is hijacked**: After its last routine radio call at 8:51, the flight was taken over between 8:51 and 8:54. A passenger reported the hijackers had box cutters and had moved passengers to the rear.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:54** · Flight 77 and the Pentagon · **American 77 turns south off course**: The aircraft deviated from its assigned course with a turn toward the south. Two minutes later it disappeared from Indianapolis Center's radar.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:56** · Flight 77 and the Pentagon · **American 77's transponder is turned off**: Indianapolis Center lost the plane and believed it had crashed. Radar tracked it, but for 8 minutes and 13 seconds its primary return was not shown to controllers, and it flew east for 36 minutes unnoticed.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:12** · Flight 77 and the Pentagon · **Flight attendant Renee May calls her mother**: May told her mother in Las Vegas that six hijackers had taken the plane and moved everyone to the rear, and asked her to alert American Airlines. Her parents did so.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:16 – 09:26** · Flight 77 and the Pentagon · **Barbara Olson calls her husband**: Sometime between 9:16 and 9:26, passenger Barbara Olson called Solicitor General Ted Olson twice, reporting hijackers with knives and box cutters. He told her of the two earlier crashes.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:29** · Flight 77 and the Pentagon · **Autopilot switched off near Washington**: The autopilot was disengaged with the plane at 7,000 feet, about 38 miles west of the Pentagon.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:34** · Flight 77 and the Pentagon · **American 77 makes a 330-degree turn**: Five miles west-southwest of the Pentagon the plane turned, descending through 2,200 feet. The hijacker pilot then advanced the throttles to maximum and dove toward the building.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:37:46** · Flight 77 and the Pentagon · **Flight 77 hits the Pentagon**: American 77 crashed into the Pentagon at about 530 miles per hour. Everyone aboard and many civilian and military personnel in the building were killed; the 9/11 Memorial counts 184 dead at the Pentagon.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm); [9/11 Memorial & Museum, FAQs](https://www.911memorial.org/911-faqs)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:28** · FAA and NORAD · **Boston Center reports a hijacking to the FAA Command Center**: Boston Center told the Command Center in Herndon, Virginia, that it believed American 11 had been hijacked and was heading toward New York airspace.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:37:52** · FAA and NORAD · **Boston Center asks NORAD for fighters**: Bypassing the chain of command, Boston Center called NORAD's Northeast Air Defense Sector (NEADS). NEADS asked, "Is this real-world or exercise?" It was the military's first notice of any hijacking, nine minutes before impact.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:42 – 10:03:11** · Flight 93 · **United Airlines Flight 93**: A Boeing 757 from Newark to San Francisco, flown by Captain Jason Dahl and First Officer Leroy Homer, with five flight attendants and 37 passengers, including four hijackers.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:42** · Flight 93 · **United 93 takes off from Newark**: Heavy morning traffic held the flight on the ground. It left more than 25 minutes late, and its crew did not know about the hijacking of American 11.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:24** · Flight 93 · **United 93 gets a cockpit-intrusion warning**: Dispatcher Ed Ballinger's message, "Beware any cockpit intrusion," reached the cockpit. At 9:26 Captain Dahl replied: "Ed, confirm latest mssg plz-Jason."
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:28** · Flight 93 · **Hijackers attack on United 93**: Over eastern Ohio the plane dropped 700 feet. Cleveland Center heard a pilot declare "Mayday" amid sounds of a struggle, then shout "get out of here." The takeover came 46 minutes after takeoff.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:32** · Flight 93 · **Hijacker announces a bomb on board**: A hijacker, probably Jarrah, told passengers to sit down because there was a bomb aboard. He then set the autopilot to turn the plane around and head east.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:39** · Flight 93 · **Cleveland hears a second hijacker announcement**: Jarrah said there was a bomb on board and the plane was going back to the airport. The Commission believes he meant to speak to the cabin but did not know how to work the radio.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:41** · Flight 93 · **United 93's transponder is turned off**: Cleveland Center found the plane on primary radar, matched it with sightings from other aircraft, and tracked it as it turned east, then south.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:57** · Flight 93 · **Passengers and crew fight back**: Through phone calls at least ten passengers and two crew members learned of the other attacks. Five calls described a plan to revolt, and one said they voted. The assault on the cockpit began at 9:57.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:58:57** · Flight 93 · **Hijacker pilot rolls and pitches the plane**: At 9:58:57 Jarrah told another hijacker to block the door. He rolled the plane left and right, then from 9:59:52 pitched the nose up and down, as the assault continued outside the cockpit.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 10:02:23** · Flight 93 · **Hijackers decide to crash the plane**: With the passengers still fighting, a hijacker said "Pull it down! Pull it down!" The control wheel was turned hard right and the plane rolled onto its back.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 10:03:11** · Flight 93 · **Flight 93 crashes near Shanksville, Pennsylvania**: The plane hit an empty field at 580 miles per hour, about 20 minutes' flying time from Washington, killing all 40 passengers and crew and the four hijackers. The Commission says the exact time has been disputed; it gives 10:03:11.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm); [9/11 Memorial & Museum, FAQs](https://www.911memorial.org/911-faqs)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:46** · FAA and NORAD · **F-15s scrambled from Otis Air Force Base**: Two alert F-15s on Cape Cod, 153 miles from New York, were scrambled at the same minute American 11 hit the North Tower. NEADS did not know where to send them.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:46:40 – 10:28:22** · Flight 11 and the North Tower · **The North Tower burns**: The 102 minutes between Flight 11's impact and the North Tower's collapse. NIST estimates about 8,900 people were in the building shortly before 9:00 a.m.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 9](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch9.htm); [NIST NCSTAR 1, Final Report on the Collapse of the World Trade Center Towers](https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/NCSTAR/ncstar1.pdf)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:52** · Flight 11 and the North Tower · **First fire companies reach the North Tower**: A battalion chief with two ladder and two engine companies arrived at about 8:52. By 9:00 about 235 firefighters had been dispatched, according to the Commission.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 9](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch9.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:00** · Flight 11 and the North Tower · **Port Authority orders the complex evacuated**: The Port Authority Police commanding officer at the World Trade Center ordered all civilians out of the complex, citing the damage to the North Tower.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 9](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch9.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:59** · Flight 11 and the North Tower · **Firefighters ordered out of the North Tower**: Within a minute of the South Tower's collapse, a chief radioed: "Command to all units in Tower 1, evacuate the building." Many firefighters inside did not hear it or did not know the South Tower had fallen.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 9](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch9.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 10:28:22** · Flight 11 and the North Tower · **The North Tower collapses**: The collapse killed everyone still on the upper floors and scores of first responders, including the FDNY Chief of Department. Sixteen people in stairwell B survived. NIST gives 10:28:22; the 9/11 Commission gives 10:28:25.
        Sources: [NIST NCSTAR 1, Final Report on the Collapse of the World Trade Center Towers](https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/NCSTAR/ncstar1.pdf); [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 9](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch9.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:53** · FAA and NORAD · **Otis fighters airborne**: Lacking a target, the F-15s were sent to military airspace off Long Island and held there from 9:09 to 9:13. They reached Manhattan at 9:25 and set up a combat air patrol.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:55** · President, government and context · **Bush hears of the first crash at a Sarasota school**: Arriving at Emma E. Booker Elementary School, Bush was told a small plane had hit the World Trade Center. At 8:55, before entering the classroom, he spoke to Condoleezza Rice, who told him it was a commercial aircraft.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 08:57** · Flight 175 and the South Tower · **Fire chiefs ask for the South Tower to be evacuated**: By 8:57 FDNY chiefs had asked building staff and Port Authority police to evacuate the South Tower. At about 9:02 its public-address system told civilians they could begin an orderly evacuation.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 9](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch9.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:03:11 – 09:58:59** · Flight 175 and the South Tower · **The South Tower burns**: The 56 minutes between Flight 175's impact and the South Tower's collapse. At least four people descended stairwell A from the 81st floor or above. The Commission says the stairwell may have been passable for others.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 9](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch9.htm)
      - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:58:59** · Flight 175 and the South Tower · **The South Tower collapses**: The South Tower fell in ten seconds, 56 minutes after it was hit, killing everyone inside and people in the concourse, the Marriott hotel and nearby streets. It was hit second and fell first.
        Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 9](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch9.htm); [NIST NCSTAR 1, Final Report on the Collapse of the World Trade Center Towers](https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/NCSTAR/ncstar1.pdf)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:05** · FAA and NORAD · **New York Center stops all traffic**: New York Center declared "ATC zero": no aircraft could depart from, arrive at or pass through its airspace. Boston Center stopped departures at its airports.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:05** · President, government and context · **Card tells Bush: "America is under attack"**: Chief of Staff Andrew Card whispered to the President in the classroom: "A second plane hit the second tower." Bush told the Commission he wanted to project calm, and stayed another five to seven minutes as the children read.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:15** · President, government and context · **Bush leaves the classroom and makes calls**: Shortly before 9:15 the President returned to a holding room, watched the coverage, and spoke to Vice President Cheney, Rice, Governor George Pataki and FBI Director Robert Mueller.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:21** · FAA and NORAD · **Mistaken report: American 11 still airborne**: The FAA told NEADS that American 11 was still in the air and heading for Washington. The Commission could not identify the source of this mistaken information.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:24** · FAA and NORAD · **NEADS scrambles fighters from Langley**: Responding to the phantom American 11, NEADS ordered Langley's alert fighters toward Washington. They were airborne at 9:30 but, following a generic flight plan, headed east over the ocean.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:25** · FAA and NORAD · **FAA orders a nationwide ground stop**: While FAA headquarters was still discussing it, the Command Center in Herndon ordered that no more flights take off anywhere in the country.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:25** · President, government and context · **White House video conference begins**: Richard Clarke ran a video teleconference from the Situation Room with the CIA, FBI, and the departments of State, Justice and Defense. The Commission found that in the first hour its information was not passed to the Pentagon's command center.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:30** · President, government and context · **Bush speaks at the school**: "Two airplanes have crashed into the World Trade Center in an apparent terrorist attack on our country," the President said, adding that he was returning to Washington. His motorcade left at 9:35.
      Sources: [White House, Remarks by the President After Two Planes Crash Into World Trade Center](https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010911.html); [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:32** · FAA and NORAD · **Dulles controllers spot a fast eastbound target**: Controllers at the Dulles radar facility saw a primary target "tracking eastbound at a high rate of speed" and warned Reagan National. It was American 77.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:34** · FAA and NORAD · **NEADS learns American 77 is missing**: Calling about American 11, NEADS was told by Washington Center: "We're looking, we also lost American 77." It was the military's first notice that the flight was missing, and it came by chance.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:34** · FAA and NORAD · **FAA headquarters learns United 93 is hijacked**: Word of the hijacking reached FAA headquarters by 9:34. No one at headquarters asked the military for help with United 93, the Commission found.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:36** · President, government and context · **Secret Service rushes Cheney to the bunker**: As an unidentified aircraft neared Washington, agents moved the Vice President out of his office just before 9:36. He entered the tunnel to the shelter at 9:37, where he learned the Pentagon had been hit.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:37** · President, government and context · **Pentagon air threat conference call begins**: The National Military Command Center's air threat conference call lasted more than eight hours. The FAA was not on it for the first 48 minutes. The Commission says its times are accurate to about three minutes.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:42** · FAA and NORAD · **FAA orders every aircraft to land**: After news of the Pentagon crash, national operations manager Ben Sliney ordered all aircraft to land at the nearest airport. About 4,500 aircraft landed without incident. The Commission gives 9:42; some timelines give 9:45.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm); [Wikipedia, Timeline for the day of the September 11 attacks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_for_the_day_of_the_September_11_attacks)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:45** · President, government and context · **Bush to Cheney: "We're at war"**: After boarding Air Force One in Sarasota, the President called the Vice President at about 9:45. Notes of the call record him saying he had heard about the Pentagon and "We're at war."
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:49** · FAA and NORAD · **Command Center asks about scrambling fighters**: Thirteen minutes after Cleveland Center asked about military help, the Command Center suggested FAA headquarters decide whether to request it. Headquarters replied, "everybody just left the room."
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:54** · President, government and context · **Air Force One takes off with no fixed destination**: The Secret Service judged Washington too unstable for the President's return, and Card agreed. The Commission says Bush wanted to go back and only reluctantly agreed to go elsewhere.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:57** · Flight 77 and the Pentagon · **Part of the Pentagon collapses**: Arlington County's after-action report puts the collapse of the upper floors at the impact area at 9:57, minutes after a fire captain saw movement and ordered everyone out. Other timelines give 10:10 or 10:15.
      Sources: [Arlington County After-Action Report on the Response to the September 11 Terrorist Attack on the Pentagon](https://www.policinginstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/pentagonafteractionreport.pdf); [Wikipedia, Timeline for the day of the September 11 attacks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_for_the_day_of_the_September_11_attacks)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 09:58** · President, government and context · **Cheney enters the shelter conference room**: The Commission concludes the Vice President reached the conference room shortly before 10:00, perhaps at 9:58, and says the evidence on the time conflicts.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 10:07** · FAA and NORAD · **NEADS first hears of United 93**: Cleveland Center's military liaison passed along United 93's last known position. The plane had already crashed, so NEADS never found it on radar.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 10:10** · FAA and NORAD · **Fighters over Washington told: no clearance to shoot**: Shortly after 10:10 the NEADS mission crew commander told the Langley fighters over the capital "negative clearance to shoot."
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 10:10 – 10:15** · President, government and context · **Cheney authorizes fighters to engage**: Told an inbound aircraft was 80 miles out, the Vice President authorized fighters to engage it. It was United 93, already down. He said he acted on an earlier call with the President; the Commission found no record of that call but called the sources incomplete.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 10:15** · FAA and NORAD · **NEADS learns United 93 is down**: Washington Center told NEADS that United 93 was down "somewhere up northeast of Camp David." The Commission says the military learned of the flight only after it had crashed.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
    - **Sep 11, 2001, 10:18** · President, government and context · **Cheney and Bush confirm the shootdown order**: Prompted by deputy chief of staff Joshua Bolten, the Vice President was logged calling the President for a two-minute call. Press secretary Ari Fleischer noted that at 10:20 Bush told him he had authorized a shootdown if necessary.
      Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
  - **Sep 11, 2001, 10:31** · FAA and NORAD · **Shootdown authorization reaches NORAD**: General Larry Arnold had NORAD's chat system carry the Vice President's clearance to shoot down aircraft that did not respond. NEADS leaders did not pass it to the pilots, whose orders remained to identify type and tail number.
    Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
  - **Sep 11, 2001, 10:33** · President, government and context · **A false alarm 5 miles from Washington**: Deputy National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley relayed the Vice President's guidance to "take them out" for a reported aircraft 5 miles out. It turned out to be a medevac helicopter.
    Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
  - **Sep 11, 2001, 10:38** · FAA and NORAD · **Andrews fighters launch "weapons free"**: DC Air National Guard fighters took off from Andrews at the Secret Service's request, outside the NORAD chain of command. Pilots launching from 10:42 were told the decision to shoot rested with the lead pilot.
    Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 1](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm)
  - **Sep 11, 2001, 11:45** · President, government and context · **Air Force One lands at Barksdale Air Force Base**: The plane landed in Louisiana at about 11:45. There Bush said: "The United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts."
    Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 10](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch10.htm); [White House, Remarks by the President Upon Arrival at Barksdale Air Force Base](https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010911-1.html)
  - **Sep 11, 2001, 14:50** · President, government and context · **Bush arrives at Offutt Air Force Base**: Offutt in Nebraska was chosen for its command facilities. At about 3:15 Bush met his advisers by secure video. Rice said he opened with "We're at war"; George Tenet said early signs pointed to al Qaeda.
    Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 10](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch10.htm)
  - **Sep 11, 2001, 17:20:52** · Flight 11 and the North Tower · **7 World Trade Center collapses**: Debris from the North Tower set the 47-story building on fire, and the fires burned for almost seven hours. NIST gives the collapse time as 5:20:52 p.m.; some accounts give 5:20:33.
    Sources: [NIST NCSTAR 1A, Final Report on the Collapse of World Trade Center Building 7](https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/NCSTAR/ncstar1a.pdf); [Wikipedia, Timeline for the day of the September 11 attacks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_for_the_day_of_the_September_11_attacks)
  - **Sep 11, 2001, 20:30** · President, government and context · **Bush addresses the nation from the White House**: "We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them," the President said.
    Sources: [White House, Statement by the President in His Address to the Nation](https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010911-16.html); [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 10](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch10.htm)
- **Sep 13, 2001** · FAA and NORAD · **National airspace reopens**: On the morning of September 13, airspace reopened for airports that met newly improvised security standards. It was the first time all nonemergency civilian aircraft in the US had been grounded.
  Sources: [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 10](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch10.htm)
- **Oct 7, 2001 – Aug 30, 2021, 15:29** · President, government and context · **US war in Afghanistan**: From the first strikes on al Qaeda camps and the Taliban on October 7, 2001, to the last US military flight out of Kabul on August 30, 2021.
  Sources: [White House, Presidential Address to the Nation, October 7, 2001](https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/10/20011007-8.html); [US Army, Military phase of evacuation ends, as does America's longest war](https://www.army.mil/article/249864/military_phase_of_evacuation_ends_as_does_americas_longest_war)
  - **Oct 7, 2001** · President, government and context · **US strikes on Afghanistan begin**: "On my orders, the United States military has begun strikes against al Qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan," President Bush said from the White House.
    Sources: [White House, Presidential Address to the Nation, October 7, 2001](https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/10/20011007-8.html); [The 9/11 Commission Report, ch. 10](https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch10.htm)
  - **Aug 30, 2021, 15:29** · President, government and context · **Last US troops leave Afghanistan**: The last C-17 lifted off from Kabul's airport at 3:29 p.m. East Coast time, General Kenneth McKenzie announced, ending the military evacuation and the US mission in Afghanistan.
    Sources: [US Army, Military phase of evacuation ends, as does America's longest war](https://www.army.mil/article/249864/military_phase_of_evacuation_ends_as_does_americas_longest_war); [CNN, The last US military planes have left Afghanistan](https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/30/politics/us-military-withdraws-afghanistan)
- **Jul 22, 2004** · President, government and context · **9/11 Commission releases its final report**: The ten commissioners, five Republicans and five Democrats, released a unanimous report with 37 recommendations, including a National Counterterrorism Center and a National Intelligence Director.
  Sources: [9/11 Commission, media advisory, July 22, 2004](https://9-11commission.gov/press/pr_2004-07-22.pdf); [govinfo, The 9/11 Commission Report](https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GPO-911REPORT)
- **May 2, 2011** · President, government and context · **Bin Laden killed in Pakistan**: US forces killed Osama bin Laden in a raid on a compound in Abbottabad, shortly before 1 a.m. local time on May 2. President Obama announced it in a late-night address from the White House.
  Sources: [White House, Remarks by the President on Osama Bin Laden](https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2011/05/02/remarks-president-osama-bin-laden); [Wikipedia, Killing of Osama bin Laden](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Osama_bin_Laden)
- **Sep 11, 2011** · President, government and context · **The 9/11 Memorial opens**: The memorial at the World Trade Center site opened on the tenth anniversary of the attacks. Its two reflecting pools, each about an acre, sit in the footprints of the Twin Towers.
  Sources: [9/11 Memorial & Museum, The 9/11 Memorial: 10 Years Later](https://www.911memorial.org/connect/blog/911-memorial-10-years-later)
- **May 15, 2014** · President, government and context · **The 9/11 Memorial Museum is dedicated**: President Obama, victims' families, rescue workers and survivors attended the dedication. The museum opened to the public on May 21, 2014.
  Sources: [9/11 Memorial & Museum, Obama, 9/11 Families, Rescuers and Survivors Dedicate Museum](https://www.911memorial.org/connect/blog/obama-911-families-rescuers-and-survivors-dedicate-museum)
- **Nov 3, 2014** · Flight 11 and the North Tower · **One World Trade Center opens**: The 1,776-foot tower opened on the World Trade Center site as the first tenant, the publisher Condé Nast, moved in.
  Sources: [PBS NewsHour, World Trade Center reopens as Condé Nast employees arrive](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/world-trade-center-reopens-conde-nast-employees-arrive-first-day-work)
- **Sep 11, 2026** · President, government and context · **25th anniversary ceremonies**: Former presidents attended the reading of names at the memorial in New York, and President Trump attended the Pentagon ceremony. A seventh moment of silence was added for people who died of 9/11-related illnesses.
  Sources: [ABC11 and AP, 9/11 25th anniversary ceremony updates](https://abc11.com/live-updates/911-25th-anniversary-ceremony-updates-families-gather-world-trade-center-pentagon-shanksville-pennsylvania/19811366/entry/19819417/); [CBS News, 25 years after Sept. 11 attacks, America reflects and remembers](https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/september-11-terrorist-attacks-25-years-memorial-2026-09-11/)

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