The two F16's, part of the 113th Air National Guard based at Andrews Air Force Base were visible in the sky above the Pentagon as it was evacuated after being struck by American Airlines Flight 77, Maj. Gen. Craig McKinley, the commander of the 1st air force told the panel.
McKinley is also in charge of the division of the Northern Air Defense Command -- known as NORAD -- responsible for protecting the continental United States. He was one of a number of federal officials who gave evidence on the second day of public hearings held by the commission to find out what wrong and why on Sept. 11.
The picture that emerged was one of military and federal agencies scrambling desperately to respond to an attack for which they were completely unprepared, but officials said much had been to improve the nation's readiness since.
The F16's -- which were not tasked to NORAD -- had been launched at the request of the Secret Service after the first two airliners crashed into the World Trade Center, McKinley explained. But they had just returned from a training exercise and were not equipped with any weaponry they would have needed to shoot down either Flight 77 or the remaining hijacked airliner, Flight 93, which was thought headed for the White House.
The two pilots showed "incredible bravery," said Commissioner Richard Ben-Veniste.
NORAD also scrambled F16s from Langley air force base in Virginia, he said. They were in the air within six minutes, which he said was "exceedingly quick." But they were still 12 minutes away from Washington when Flight 77 crashed in the Pentagon.
Moreover, the man who had McKinley's job on Sept. 11, retired Maj. Gen. Larry Arnold, told the panel that he could not have ordered the hijacked airliners shot down even if either set of F16s had been able to make it to the capital in time.
"To my knowledge, I did not have the authority to shoot it down at that time," he said, adding later of Flight 77, "even if we were there, I don't think we would have shot it down."
He said that he only learned President Bush had made the decision to give him that authority five minutes after the last plane, Flight 93, crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania, after passengers who had learned the fate of the other airliners apparently stormed the cockpit.
McKinley admitted that NORAD was utterly unprepared for the attack.
"Our mission was at that time ... to look outward, as a Cold War vestige ... to protect against Soviet long-range bomber penetration of our intercept zone," he said.
"Would you agree," asked Ben-Veniste, that on the basis of the information available there could have been better preparedness by NORAD?"
"In retrospect, sir," the general replied, "I think I would agree with your comment."
Arnold explained that NORAD commanders had no radar cover in the United States -- relying instead on civilian air traffic control radar data relayed to them over the phone -- and could not even talk directly to their pilots while they were in the air.
McKinley explained that many changes had been made since Sept. 11.
"I believe at the present time we have (the capability to defend the United States)," he said in response to one question.
He said that the authority to designate civilian aircraft as "hostile targets" in U.S. airspace -- which had never been used before Sept. 11, and previously rested solely with the president -- had now been delegated to Gen. Eberhardt, the man in charge of NORAD, and that there were "emergency procedures" which could push the authority to shoot down civilian aircraft even lower on the chain of command.
"In an emergency situation, we can now take the appropriate action," he said.
"The interagency process works very well," he added, referring to NORAD's improved liaison with the Federal Aviation Administration, "the way they're lashed up with us now."
Copyright 2003 by United Press International.
All rights reserved.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.