1. American Air Flight 77 A very real ghost Part 1 Audio clips from NARA records RG. 148.RFAA.03012527a ZDC OMIC 1300-1400 UTC A copy of certified air traffic control tapes provided by FAA to the 9-11 Commission Transcribed by Miles Kara, November 18, 2009

2. ZDC OMIC contacts ZID ZID:9:17:20 Indy ZDC:Indy, Wash Center watch desk, I need to, I need to find out if you have; on the TSD, I got a ghost target but it shows American 77 right in the middle of Indiana. I want a, I need to know if he is really there or not. ZID:Ah, can I ask why? ZDC:Well, because, you know, yeah, this is, I need to know if you are working ZID:Well, we are trying to find him right now ZDC:Oh, you are? ZID:Yeah, ZDC:OK ZIDHang on a second

3. ZID checks with its OMIC ZID:What is the reason for..? I mean, have you guys talked to him?, or.. ZDC:Well, I don’t know what, I don’t know what is going on; we don’t have a flight plan stored on him now and I’m not so sure that (pause) the Region is calling us about him. ZID:OK, hang on

4. ZID OMIC Picks Up ZID:(9:18) This is the ops manager, John Thomas ZDC:Hey John, this is ops manager Cary Johnson, Washington Center. Hey, I got the Region on the line and we show a ghost target on American Seventy Seven in the middle of, ah, Indiana; I just, I need to know if you guys are actually working him. I don’t think he’s there. ZID:We are not. We were working him in our Henderson High Sector just East of York VOR; disappeared off the scope at 35,000 and lost communications with him at the same time. Ah we’ve (pause) American Airlines doesn’t know, they say they’ve had an aircraft hijacked, at least one, they suspect that this may be the case.

5. Conversation Concludes ZID:We’re trying to notify the state police, and assume that, you know and block airspace, but we really assume that he’s turned around and headed somewhere else. ZID:So right now I would think, everybody needs to be on the lookout for another possible loose aircraft ZDC:at 35 huh? ZID: Yep ZDC:That’s last altitude? ZID:Well, we don’t know what altitude he would be at now ZDC:OK, all right, thanks ZID:Thank you ZDC:Bye bye (time is 9:18:50)

6. Summary Real time conversation at 9:18 EDT between operations managers at Indianapolis ATC (ZID) and Washington ATC (ZDC) Real time conversation at 9:18 EDT between operations managers at Indianapolis ATC (ZID) and Washington ATC (ZDC) ZDC asks about a ghost AA77 over Indiana at the request of FAA Eastern Region ZDC asks about a ghost AA77 over Indiana at the request of FAA Eastern Region ZDC takes away that AA 77 is at flight level 35 ZDC takes away that AA 77 is at flight level 35 According to 84 th RADES radar and the Flight Data Recorder, AA 77 is at flight level 25, just crossing the mountains into Virginia near Harrisonburg According to 84 th RADES radar and the Flight Data Recorder, AA 77 is at flight level 25, just crossing the mountains into Virginia near Harrisonburg ZDC manager will next consult with his area supervisors, Part 2 in this series ZDC manager will next consult with his area supervisors, Part 2 in this series

7. Google Earth Plot of RADES Radar

8. ZDC OMIC Briefs Area Supervisors Seven:Seven OMIC:Stand by one please…Hey Dennis, if you’re on four, get three, thank you, all right. OMIC:9:21:36. I’ve got all the areas but area two. OMIC:All right, listen guys, this thing seems to be escalating a little bit, we have a couple of aircraft, one in Indy Center that they lost on radar at 35 thousand, that’s American 77, they don’t know where he is so be on the lookout for a limited target at 35, he could be reversing course, and also one up in New Jersey, United, at 31, they lost him also. His last altitude was at 31 thousand feet, so they could be some deceiving. Tell everyone heads up for limited data tags.

9. Area Supervisors Clarify SUP:Have you got a code, Cary? OMIC:Well, they’ve probably turned the codes, you know SUP:To seventy-seven, or something OMIC: Yeah, I’m sure there’s no, ah, probably no beacon code assigned, if it is I’m sure they’ve changed it SUP:OK, and what’s the numbers again? OMIC:Well, one of them, one was United seventy-seven, the other was, I mean American seventy-seven, United one-seventy-five SUP:OK OMIC:All right SUP:Thanks (time is 9:22:30)

10. Google Earth Plot, Continued

11. Summary Real time conversation at 9:22 EDT between operations manager at Washington ATC (ZDC) and his Area Supervisors Real time conversation at 9:22 EDT between operations manager at Washington ATC (ZDC) and his Area Supervisors Estimate of the situation is provided Estimate of the situation is provided Emphasis is on looking for limited data tags and a beacon code change Emphasis is on looking for limited data tags and a beacon code change ZDC is concerned about both AA 77 and UA 175 ZDC is concerned about both AA 77 and UA 175

12. AA 77 Flight Data Recorder partial data 091900 091400 35000 25000 10000 Altitude