PDA

View Full Version : Delta 1989 – Additions to the 9/11 Timeline as of August 17, 2009



Kevin Fenton
08-17-2009, 04:18 PM
Most of the new entries in the last week have concerned the "red herring" Delta 1989, which was a suspected hijack in the day of 9/11, but was never taken over by terrorists. Shortly after the hijacking of United 93, both Delta 1989 and other aircraft had to turn to avoid the hijacked airliner (http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a930deltaturns&scale=0), and, shortly after the Pentagon was hit, Delta Air Lines ordered the plane to land in Cleveland (http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a942deltaorders&scale=0), but did not tell the FAA. The pilot then changed course and failed to respond to an FAA message (http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a944deltasuspicious&scale=0), causing the FAA to think it may be a hijack. However, when the Northeast Air Defense Sector (NEADS) told the FAA the Delta plane was a confirmed hijack (http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a945confirmedhijack&scale=0) at 9:45 a.m., an FAA controller disagreed. Delta Air Lines reported four missing planes (http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a950fourplanes&scale=0) around 9:50 a.m., the same time as Cleveland airport and city buildings started to be evacuated (http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a950clevelandevacuated&scale=0). The pilot's failure to use a standard aviation term (http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a1001traconsuspicious&scale=0) shortly after 10:00 a.m. made controllers suspicious, but SWAT teams and the FBI finally allowed passengers off the plane (http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a1128deltapassengers&scale=0) around noon.

There are also several entries about fighters being scrambled from non-alert bases, such as an unsuccessful attempt (http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a941duluthjets&scale=0) by NEADS to launch planes from Minnesota after 9:40 a.m. NEADS also contacted Selfridge Air Force Base (http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a955neadscallsselfridge&scale=0) to get unarmed jets sent after either Delta 1989 or United 93 just before 10:00 a.m., but the planes ended up returning to base (http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a956selfridgejets&scale=0) instead. Pilots in Toledo originally through a NEADS request they launch was a joke (http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a1001thinkjoke&scale=0), but were in the air at 10:17 a.m. (http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a1017toledolaunches&scale=0)

In addition to the Delta 1989 entries, there are two more about the Langley jets that took off at 9:30; they were initially given an incorrect heading (http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a930langleytower&scale=0), flying east instead of north, and were not immediately redirected (http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a931norfolktracon&scale=0).

Finally, nearly three years before the 7/7 London bombings, British counterterrorism officials discussed a possible terrorist attack against the London underground (http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a1002UndergroundMeeting&scale=0).

Originally posted here (http://www.historycommons.org/news.jsp?oid=140393703-902). If you can spare a dollar or two, please remember that every donation helps (http://www.historycommons.org/donate.jsp).

Gold9472
08-17-2009, 06:30 PM
Thanks Kevin.