The Sky Was Blue on 9/11: Timeline and Reflections on a National Tragedy

Posted Sep 01, 2026

The sky was blue over New York City and much of the United States on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. That day, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four planes that struck three locations, killing 2,977 people and injuring thousands.

For many faculty, staff, and some alumni, the 25th anniversary of this national tragedy will bring back solemn memories and feelings. For current students and younger alumni, who know Sept. 11 primarily through textbooks and documentaries, this anniversary provides an opportunity for education and the context that only personal insight and historical perspective can provide.

Below is a timeline and firsthand accounts of alumni who were there from the Winter 2022 issue of Towers Magazine.You can also learn more about the national response at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum online and participate in their #RemembertheSkycampaign.

Remember the Sky over Boston:

7:59 a.m.:American Airlines Flight 11 (Boston to LA) takes off. There are 76 passengers, 11 crew members, and 5 hijackers on board.

8:15 a.m.: United Airlines Flight 175 (Boston to LA) takes off. There are 51 passengers, 9 crew members, and 5 hijackers on board.

8:19 a.m.:A flight attendant on Flight 11, Betty Ann Ong, alerts ground personnel that a hijacking is underway and the cockpit is unreachable.

8:24 a.m.:Mohamed Atta, a hijacker on Flight 11, unintentionally alerts air controllers in Boston to the attack. He meant to press the button to talk to the passengers on the flight.

8:37 a.m.: After hearing the broadcast from Atta on Flight 11, Boston air traffic control alerts the US Air Force’s Northeast Defense Sector, who mobilize the Air National Guard to follow Flight 11.

Remember the Sky over New York City:

Sept.11, 2001: The World Trade Center is destroyed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.In NYC, 2,753 people are killed, including flight passengers and crew, civilians in the World Trade Center and on the ground, and first responders.Among the first responders killed were 343 firefighters from the FDNY, 23 police officers from the NYPD, and 37 Port Authority police officers.

8:42 a.m.: United Airlines Flight 93 (Newark, NJ, to San Francisco) takes off. There are 33 passengers, 7 crew members, and 4 hijackers on board.

8:46 a.m.: American Airlines Flight 11crashes into the North Tower. An estimated 1,000 people working above the 91st floor are trapped with no way to escape.

9:03 a.m.: United Airlines Flight 175(Boston to Los Angeles) crashes into South Tower. The impact is broadcast live on international television. People begin to realize the crashes are not accidents.

9:59 a.m.: The South Tower collapses.

10:28 a.m.: The North Tower collapses.

5:30 p.m.: Building 7 of the World Trade Center collapses.

Dec. 19, 2001: The Fire Department of New York extinguishes the fires at the World Trade Center after 99 days of burning.

Christine Witt ’00 was on the Staten Island Ferry at the time of the attack. “A little before 9 a.m. on Sept. 11, I heard a uniformed gasp and glanced off the portside bow of the Staten Island Ferry to see the top of the World Trade Center on fire. These stunned few moments were followed by a numbing silence as I watched a plane fly in from my right and crash into the other tower.” Once on land, Witt saw first responders running past her toward the city.

Karlie Mossman ’95 was walking to work at the World Financial Center, two buildings away from the World Trade Center, the morning of Sept. 11. “The first plane hit while I was on the subway underground. I normally would have walked from the subway station through the World Trade Center mall, but I saw hundreds of people running the other way, so I followed them… Once I got out onto the street, I could literally see parts of the buildings floating in the sky. I tried to use my cell phone to call people and let them know I was okay, but the cell towers had been on the WTC buildings. I ducked into a deli across the street from the Twin Towers to get change and as I came out the door, the second plane hit. I was a block and a half away. The sound was deafening.”

Mossman described the days following the attack: “It felt like a police state. There were policeman and barricades on almost every comer. I lived far enough away not to be affected by structural damage, but the smoke and dust traveled to our area. Everyone was walking around with dust masks on. I went and put flowers in front of the firehouse in my neighborhood. That station alone lost two-thirds of its firemen. And the posters of the missing people were everywhere I looked. It was really difficult.”

Remember the Sky over Washington, D.C., and Arlington, VA:

Sept. 11, 2001: Five terrorists crash an airplane into the western side of the Pentagon in Arlington, VA, killing 184 victims. This attack follows the two in New York City.

8:20 a.m.: American Airlines Flight 77 (Washington, D.C. to LA) takes off from Dulles International Airport. There are 53 passengers, 6 crew members, and 5 hijackers on board.

8:50 a.m.: Hijackers attack Flight 77.

9:37 a.m.: Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon, killing 59 passengers and crew and 125 civilian and military personnel in the building.

Lieutenant General and Assistant Vice Chief of Staff Lance W. Lord ’68, was in a meeting with Secretary of the Air Force James Roche, Chief of Scaff General John Jumper, and others, which wasinterrupted by live video feeds of the World Trade Center. “We were stunned at what we saw next as an airliner flew into the second tower. Although what we saw at the time was really difficult to comprehend and seemed utterly improba­ble, we quickly came to the conclusion we were under some kind of attack or terrorist assault.”

The meeting quickly ended and soon after, Lord felt a dull shudder and heard a muffled bang — he was almost directly opposite the area where the impact occurred from the third plane. The building was evacuated. “Once outside, we could see smoke from theother side of the building and began to realize how grave the situation had become … it wasn’t until I was returning to the building that the true horror of what had just happened began to sink in, as acrid smoke started to fill the corridors and l saw some of the injured being evacuated through any open hallway.”

Major General Glen D. Shaffer ’70, director of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and deputy chief of staff of air and space opera­tions for the U.S. Air Force, was also at the Pentagon. “Due to the location of our commandcenter, we did not know the aircraft had hit the (Pentagon) until we saw it on TV. Those who were in my office area, however, felt a significant impact and were quickly evacuated.” Shaffer continued to work in the Pentagon until that afternoon when the smoke forced them to relocate. Hereturnedthe next day: “The numbers of volunteers who came to help, the kindness of everyone, the churches who sent food, the restaurants who sent food, the Red Cross volunteers, the chaplains … all were a part (of the effort)… The halls (of the Pentagon) are filled with large banners of encouragement, most signed by schoolchildren and church members. We’ve received countless cards and letters. You get choked up… just walking down the halls sometimes. There is a display… which includes photographs and biographies of victims of the attack. Looking at this, you can’t help but strengthen your resolve, or pray, or both.”

Remember the Sky over Shanksville, PA:

Sept. 11, 2001: Four terrorists hijack the fourth and final plane, which crashes into a field in Pennsylvania, killing 40 victims. The actions taken by brave passengers and crew members prevent the plane from hitting its intended target, likely the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

9:28 a.m.: On United Airlines Flight 93 (Newark, NJ, to San Francisco), 46 minutes into the flightover northeastern Ohio, hijackers attackand turn the plane southeast toward Washington, D.C.

9:57 a.m.: After learning about the fates of the other hijacked planes through phone calls with family members, passengers and crew members mount an assault on the hijackers and the cockpit.

10:03 a.m.: Flight 93 crashes into a field in outside Shanksville, PA, killing all 40 passengers and crew members on board but avoiding any casualties on the ground.

Remember the Sky over the United States:

9:45 a.m.: US airspace is shut down, and all civilian aircraft are ordered to land at the nearest airport.

12:15 p.m.: Airspace in the US is completely free of all commercial and private flights.

Sept. 13, 2001: Airports and commercial flights begin to reopen, but with stricter security policies and checks. General aviation operations take longer to resume, especially those around Washington, D.C., where no-fly zone with a 25-nautical-miles radiusis established on Sept. 14, 2001.

Sources:

Otterbein alumni accounts are from the Winter 2022 issue of Towers Magazine. You can read it online for more historical perspective from alumni who were impacted, as well as the campus response to the tragedy.