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aircraft. Then the Command Center informed headquarters that controllers
had lost track of United 93 over the Pittsburgh area.Within seconds, the Com-
mand Center received a visual report from another aircraft, and informed head-
quarters that the aircraft was 20 miles northwest of Johnstown. United 93 was
spotted by another aircraft, and, at 10:01, the Command Center advised FAA
headquarters that one of the aircraft had seen United 93 "waving his wings."
The aircraft had witnessed the hijackers' efforts to defeat the passengers' coun-
terattack.

167

United 93 crashed in Pennsylvania at 10:03:11, 125 miles from Washington,

D.C. The precise crash time has been the subject of some dispute.The 10:03:11
impact time is supported by previous National Transportation Safety Board
analysis and by evidence from the Commission staff 's analysis of radar, the flight
data recorder, the cockpit voice recorder, infrared satellite data, and air traffic
control transmissions.

168

Five minutes later, the Command Center forwarded this update to head-

quarters:

Command Center:

O.K. Uh, there is now on that United 93.

FAA Headquarters:

Yes.

Command Center:

There is a report of black smoke in the last position

I gave you, fifteen miles south of Johnstown.

FAA Headquarters:

From the airplane or from the ground?

Command Center:

Uh, they're speculating it's from the aircraft.

FAA Headquarters:

Okay.

Command Center:

Uh, who, it hit the ground.That's what they're spec-

ulating, that's speculation only.

169

The aircraft that spotted the "black smoke" was the same unarmed Air

National Guard cargo plane that had seen American 77 crash into the Penta-
gon 27 minutes earlier. It had resumed its flight to Minnesota and saw the
smoke from the crash of United 93, less than two minutes after the plane went
down. At 10:17, the Command Center advised headquarters of its conclusion
that United 93 had indeed crashed.

170

Despite the discussions about military assistance, no one from FAA head-

quarters requested military assistance regarding United 93. Nor did any man-
ager at FAA headquarters pass any of the information it had about United 93
to the military.

Military Notification and Response.

NEADS first received a call about

United 93 from the military liaison at Cleveland Center at 10:07. Unaware that
the aircraft had already crashed, Cleveland passed to NEADS the aircraft's last
known latitude and longitude. NEADS was never able to locate United 93 on
radar because it was already in the ground.

171

THE 9/11 COMMISSION REPORT

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