Scott Hubbard Shares his 9/11 Reflections Based on his Work in the FAA's Aviation Command Center
Document Type
Personal Reflection
What were you doing on 9/11? (Or, What was your interviewee doing on 9/11?)
I was assigned to the FAA Deputy Administrator’s Emergency Operation Staff and was in the FAA’s Aviation Command Center helping to facilitate the agency’s response to the ongoing terror attacks.
How did 9/11 affect you personally and or professionally?
I am now retired, but professionally it was a paradigm shift in the way the nation handles aviation terror/hijacking events. No longer is it just the FAA calling the shots if an aircraft were to be hijacked or go NORDO. The immediate escalation of such an event to the Domestic Events Network brings online a host of U.S. Government agencies to coordinate the response. Additionally, although it seemed right at the time, we learned that a nationwide shutdown will/should never happen again. Personally . . . I am still haunted by the images of aircraft disappearing from the radar display that we were all watching.
On 9/11, what sector were you (OR your interviewee) in?
Government – Aviation-related
Event Location
Scott Hubbard Shares his 9/11 Reflections Based on his Work in the FAA's Aviation Command Center
I am now retired, but professionally it was a paradigm shift in the way the nation handles aviation terror/hijacking events. No longer is it just the FAA calling the shots if an aircraft were to be hijacked or go NORDO. The immediate escalation of such an event to the Domestic Events Network brings online a host of U.S. Government agencies to coordinate the response. Additionally, although it seemed right at the time, we learned that a nationwide shutdown will/should never happen again. Personally . . . I am still haunted by the images of aircraft disappearing from the radar display that we were all watching.
