# How much did Bush have to do w/ landing all airplanes post 9/11?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-did-bush-have-to-do-w-landing-all-airplanes-post-9-11/268700>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 11, 2004, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-did-bush-have-to-do-w-landing-all-airplanes-post-9-11/268700 "2004-10-11T20:26:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-did-bush-have-to-do-w-landing-all-airplanes-post-9-11/268700/1 "2004-10-11T20:26:04Z")

</div>

Someone cited the landing of all aircraft w/in a short time after the WTC crashes as one bit of evidence that Bush is a quick and decisive leader.

My wife, who has an Emergency Management degree, doubts Bush had much if anything to do with that. She says probably the procedures were already in place and were ordered by someone much lower on the chain than the President.

Does anyone know what the truth of the matter is?

-FrL-

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-did-bush-have-to-do-w-landing-all-airplanes-post-9-11/268700/2 "2004-10-11T20:37:21Z")

</div>

According to the [Official 9/11 Committee Report](http://print.google.com/print?id=kkiJKQfIgCAC&pg=39&lpg=39&prev=http://print.google.com/print%3Fid%3DkkiJKQfIgCAC%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26q%3DFAA%2Border%26btnG%3DSearch%2Bbook&sig=FrvWKG0phJysU_HLaQSpWZrgX4M),

> [@](#):
>
> By 9:25, FAA’s Herndon Command Center and FAA headquarters knew two aircraft had crashed into the World Trade Center. They knew American 77 was lost. At least some FAA officials in Boston Center and the New England Region that a hijacker on board American 11 had said “we have some planes.” Concerns over the safety of other aircraft began to mount. A manager at the Herndon Command Center asked FAA headquarters if they wanted to order a “nationwide ground stop.” While this was being discussed by executives at FAA headquarters, the Command Center ordered one at 9:25.

So it appears the decision was made by FAA command people amidst all the chaos.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ElectricZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58f4c7/32.png) [@ElectricZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElectricZ)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-did-bush-have-to-do-w-landing-all-airplanes-post-9-11/268700/3 "2004-10-11T20:51:04Z")

</div>

> [@friedo](#):
>
> So it appears the decision was made by FAA command people amidst all the chaos.

Slight hijack, but mad props to the controllers and pilots who managed to land every aircraft in American airspace without a single accident. Talk about a nightmare – pulling down several thousand spinning plates when the boss stops them all at the same time!

EZ