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2002 Forum
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2002 Oberstar Forum — Norman Mineta on 9-11
Mineta Recounts Unfolding September 11 Horror
Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta was called out of a breakfast meeting with urgent news. A plane, he was told, had just smashed into the World Trade Center in New York City.
CTS director Robert Johns asks Secretary Norman Mineta to describe his experience on September 11.
Unsure of what to make of the bizarre live scene he watched on an office television, Mineta returned to the meeting, leaving instructions with aides to keep him informed. A short time later, they interrupted him again.
His staff had learned that the plane had been a commercial airliner. Then, as they viewed the latest TV news reports of the unfolding tragedy, a second plane slammed into the other tower. The horrific scene had grown immeasurably worse before their eyes.
Moments later, Mineta begged out of his meeting, quickly explaining that he’d been summoned to the White House.
As the secretary’s car pulled up to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Mineta noted a strange sight. Everyone else was moving in the other direction. "Is there something wrong with this picture?" he said. "We’re driving in to go to the White House, and everyone is running out."
Inside, Mineta was briefed on the situation and escorted down to the presidential emergency operations center, also known as PEOC, a command bunker beneath the White House. There, with Vice President Dick Cheney, they established direct contact with the Federal Aviation Administration and attempted to assess the situation. In minutes, a report came in about a plane 50 miles away, headed low and fast along the river toward Washington, D.C.
As the plane neared the city and the White House, the situation intensified. Inside of 10 miles, they lost track of the incoming craft and frantically attempted to locate it. But the next word came from the Pentagon—an explosion, reports of a plane crashing into that building.
"If you see one of something happen, it’s an accident," Mineta explained. "If you see two of the same thing happening, it’s a trend or pattern. But when you see three of the same things happen, it’s a plan or a program."
Mineta’s next step was clear. "Monte [Belger, acting deputy administrator]," he recalled saying that day, "bring all the planes down. If they are coming eastbound, turn them around and get them out of here. If they’re westbound, have them go on to their destinations or get them down as quickly as possible."
As a result, 4,836 planes landed in 2 hours and 12 minutes without further incident. "The skill and the professionalism of the air traffic controllers, the dedication of the pilots and flight attendants really—they worked as a team all the way around to bring those planes down safely," Mineta added. "My job was the easiest part."