The Flight 77 time line

THIS TIME LINE of American Airlines Flight 77 – culled from The 9/11 Commission Report – shows what officials call a series of innocent errors, delays, and miscommunications, but what 9/11 conspiracy theorists say was a deliberate military stand-down. For a more complete time line from both media and official sources, go to www.cooperativeresearch.org.

8:20 a.m. A.A. Flight 77 takes off from Washington, D.C.

8:46 A.A. Flight 11 hits north WTC tower.

8:53 Two F-15s leave Otis AFB for New York, then fly holding pattern off Long Island.

8:54-8:56 A.A. 77 makes unauthorized U-turn and turns off transponder.

9:03 United Airlines 175 hits south WTC tower.

9:05 Airline notifies FAA that A.A. 77 was hijacked and is either crashed or headed toward D.C.

9:05 President Bush is told "America is under attack" because of WTC attacks but remains at photo op.

9:10 Vice President Cheney moves into Presidential Emergency Operation Center to take command.

9:21 Military commander notified that hijacked plane is headed toward D.C; advises Langley AFB to scramble fighter jets.

9:25 FAA orders all flights nationwide grounded; White House notified of A.A. 77 hijacking when passenger Barbara Olson calls her husband, U.S. solicitor general Ted Olson.

9:30 Fighters leave Langley but head toward Baltimore, then over the Atlantic, because of alleged miscommunication.

9:32 Dulles air controller reports fast-moving aircraft headed toward D.C.

9:34 FAA notified that U.A. Flight 93 has been hijacked.

9:37 Secret Service whisks Cheney into protected bunker.

9:38 A.A. 77 crashes into Pentagon.

9:54 Air Force One leaves Florida, deviating from Bush's schedule for the first time.

STJ