Why aren't there tapes from air traffic control from 9/11/01?

[Thtwudbeme]

Are the ONLY conversations recorded from those in the cockpit?

Can we listen to the ATC's conversations? Those are the ones I want to hear.

I want to hear a young patriotic man or woman in Flight Control scream:

"GET NORAD! LET'S ROLL!"

[shoelace414]

1. because..

a supervisor took the tape.. cut it into little pieces and threw each piece into a differnt garbage can.

[Thtwudbeme]

2. Oh that's right!

I wonder if they will at least get to testify?

Maybe the guy can explain to the people of the US why he decided to throw away valuable evidence?

[Ready4Change]

Literally.

[FloridaPat]

13. Those were the tapes the controllers made themselves when they

got together after everything and discussed what happened as they remembered it. The FAA does have tapes and they've never been made pulic. I don't remember ever hearing that anyone listened to them either.

[MadHound]

3. There are such tapes

Trouble is, FAA and others are sitting on them, and it is highly unlikely that they're going to come up off of them anytime soon.

[Atman]

4. They were all destroyed, according to FAA whistleblower

Since unheard from. Maybe some DUer has the link, but one of the ATC's handling the flights came out shortly after 9/11 and claimed government official came in and took the tapes, ripped them out of their cases and threw them in the trash right there on the spot.

[Atman]

5. Here's the story...

FAA Managers Destroyed 9/11 Tape
Recording Contained Accounts of Communications With Hijacked Planes

By Sara Kehaulani Goo
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 6, 2004; 6:16 PM

Six air traffic controllers provided accounts of their communications with hijacked planes on Sept. 11, 2001, on a tape recording that was later destroyed by Federal Aviation Administration managers, according to a government investigative report issued today.

It is unclear what information was on the tape because no one ever listened to, transcribed or duplicated it, the report by the Department of Transportation inspector general said.

The report concluded that the FAA generally cooperated with the independent panel investigating the terrorist attacks by providing documents about its activities on Sept. 11, but the actions of two FAA managers "did not, in our view, serve the interests of the FAA, the Department or the public."

The report was conducted at the request of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) after the panel investigating the Sept. 11 attacks, officially known as the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, complained that the FAA had been less than forthcoming in turning over documents and issued a subpoena to the agency for more information.

<snip>

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A6632-2004May6

[libnnc]

6. It was a quality control person and from what my ATC partner

tells me, those tapes were of a debriefing and shouldn't have been made to begin with. It's against FAA procedure to tape incident debriefings.

edit to add:

I think the controllers were trying to get down exactly what happened and management was trying to go by the books as far a procedure goes.

[Thtwudbeme]

7. Are conversations somehow recorded in the

ATC room?

I forgot you had a partner that does this---I wish she would post the ATC's point of view on DU---I have always been interested in this-

Stephanie

[libnnc]

8. she's standing here over my shoulder as I type this

these tapes (in general) would not have been required. The only thing that is required after an incident is a written statement from controllers involved.

edit to add:
the FAA does tape the traffic conversations between pilots and controllers.

[Thtwudbeme]

9. Interesting. Are conversations between pilots and ATC's generally

not recorded from the ATC's end?

What about phone conversations from the ATC room to FAA officials?

[quiet.american]

10. In this case, the FAA had instructed otherwise, though....

"The quality-assurance manager destroyed the tape despite an e-mail message sent by the F.A.A. instructing officials to safeguard all records and adding, 'If a question arises whether or not you should retain data, RETAIN IT.'

The inspector general ascribed the destruction to 'poor judgment'.... 'we have taken appropriate disciplinary action' against the quality-assurance manager. For privacy reasons, he said, he could not say what those actions were or identify any of the employees involved.

Key 9/11 Tape Destroyed

[havocmom]

11. The ATC people involved are still alive.

They could make comments if officials played a tape that did not match the event but stuck to the script of what we are told of the events? There is no one left from Flight 93 who could comment if those tapes sounded hinkey? :shrug:

[Pachamama]

12. Oh stop asking questions that make sense!

:spank:

:hi: