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UNCLASSIFIEDC OMMISSION SENSITIVEMEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD

Event: Lang ley Air Force Base Site V isitType of event: InterviewsDate: Monday, December 01, 2003Special Access Issues: NonePrepared by: M iles KaraTeam Number: 8Location: Base F light Operations Building, Conference RoomParticipants - TSGT Dwayne Acoff andAirman F irst Class Robert Lugaro, separately.Participants - Commission: Miles Kara, Kevin ShaefferObserver - Colonel PamJefferson, USAF, Base Legal OfficeNote: Please refer to the recorded interview for further details.Background:

Acoff and Lugaro w ere added to the interview list and separately interviewedafter it was determined that it was Lugaro who entered the flight plan for Quit 25,26, an d27, the 119 th FW, Det 1, Air Defense Fighters scrambled from Langley AFB onSeptember 11,2001. Scheduled interviewees informed staff that A1C Lugaro was sittingthe FD (Flight Data) position as a trainee and that his m onitor was TSG T Acoff. At theconclusion of the two separate interviews Staff consulted w ith the current Langley Tow erOfficer-in-Charge, CAPT Scherer for additional perspective.TSGT Acoff:

On September 11, 2001 TSGT Acoff was assigned to the FD/CD (FlightData/Clearance Delivery) position as the primary watchstander. That day, severaltrainees w ere in the tower to complete their training qualifications and A 1C Lugaro was.actually sitting at the FD /CD position w hen the scramble order cam e in from theNortheast Air Defen se Sector (NEADS). Acoff was plugged in to the console so that hecould monitor the conversations and activity of A 1C Lugaro. Acoff recalled that both theTower Supervisor, MSGT Griffith, an d A1C Halford were also present.Acoff had been in the FD /CD position at L angley since his arrival there in

November, 1999. He has been a certified Flight Data watchstander since 1992. T heFlight Data/Clearance Delivery position issues clearances, enters flight data, recordslanding and takeoff times and coordinates with adjacent civil and military facilities. Theposition also updates weather information.Acoff recalled the active air scramble coming in on the alert line, a telephone linethat autom atically reaches about five entities/sites Langley Base O ps, Langley Tower,an d Norfolk Tow er among them. Data transmitted usually includes a heading andCOMMISSION SENSITIVEUNCLASSIFIED

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/9/11 Classified Information/ U N C L A S S I F I E DCOMM ISSION SENS ITIVE

altitude andtarget information. /Only a heading and altitude were transmitted on 9-11.By the time the scramble order;was received Aco ff wasaware from informa tion obtainedon a break that the first WTC tower had been hit. He also recalled that it was about 15minutes later that the order cajne to put the Langley fighters on .Battle Stations. Herecalled that it was a "long tirhe" before the scramble order was given.Acoff stated that he (toes not recall everboth before and after 9-11-entering theactual heading and altitude .as contained in the scram ble order. He was shown atranscription of the actual scramble order andpointed to the heading andaltitude asinformation they were cognizant of but did not enter in the flight plan. Rather, theyalways defaulted! 9/11 classified information I He explained thattheir task wasf I

I / \Staffobtainedacopyofthesampleentrysheetcurrentasof the date ( j ) f this interview. Fo r scrambles that sheet contains the heading/bearinginformatiorAcoff characterized the clearance entered into the flight data system as a "ghost

clearance." It was his experience that the fighters took off and then assumed whateverheading they needed und er Norfo lk Tower control. In fact, because of the speed of thefighters and the limited air space that the tower actually controls, the practice is to turncontrol of the fighters over to Norfolk while the fighters are rolling down the runway.When shown a track of the route the fighters actually flew Acoff could onlycharacterize what he saw as, "that was useless." He further stated that NEADS doesn'tknow what we do to get the fighters off. He has never visited NEADS and he does notrecall that anyone from NEADS ha s visited Langley, except just recentlyin the lastmonth.Acoff characterized 9-11 as "everything seemed slow that morning" before eventstranspired. He recalled those events as the first time in his experience th at somethingreally happened concerning scrambles.Acoff supported theactionsof Lugaro and recalled that Lugaro turned to him asthe flight data was being entered as0900060 and he gave his approval.

Airman First Class LugaroLugaro had been in training for one month and was just completing hisqualifications. He recalled that Griffith and Halford were in the Tower together withAirmen Campbell , Clark, and Cubero.His situational awareness was that there had been a stop on all traffic in the NewYork area and that something had hit the WTC.The scramble call came in on the hot linea dedicated phone line that includesthe Base Command Post, NEADS, Norfolk Approach and Langley Tower. It may

include G iant Killer. Lugaro recalled that he acknowledged receipt as requested byNEADS by using his initials, Lima October (LO). His procedure was to write theessential information in grease pencil on plexiglasscall sign, frequency, alternatefrequency, flight level an d heading.

COMMISSION S E N S I T I V EU N C L A S S I F I E D

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U N C L A S S I F I E DC O M M I S S I O N S E N S I T I V EH e stated that it was often diff icult to f ind a clearance to enter that the systemwou ld accept [Staff Note: We w ill pursue this issue at No rfolk Tower and elsewhere inF A A ]. H e used the terminology a "DME" [Distance M easurement Equ ipment] entry thatthe com puter will accept in the FDIO (Flight Data In put Ou put) terminal . He does notrecall trying that mo rning to try and find an acceptable heading and used the informationavailable to him at the terminala known acceptable entry. He said that the supervisor(Acoff) said 090 for 60, it was a kn ow n good entry. If needed, he understood, N orfo lkA pproach wou ld change it in the flight data system. Onc e planes reach 2500 feetaltitude, Lugaro said, they could turn to any heading they wanted.In sum, the data that Langley tower enters is a clearance l imit, according to

Lugaro, that can be amended at any time. H is understanding is that Norfolk would do theamendment, i t would not be left up to the pilot. He appeared surprised when shown theactual route taken by the Lang ley fighters on 9-11.Addit ional information. Lu garo said that the flight altitude limits fo r Nor fo lk

TowerWere I 9/ll Classified Information ICapt Scherer.

Staff consul ted w i th th e cu rrent tower comm ander, Capt Scherer, after the twointerviews. He simply shook his head negatively an d understood he had a trainingproblem . H e was reading from the 1994 scramble agreement, still current , and it wasclear to him that Lan gley tower wo uld entry the scramble data as transmitted by NE A D S.Scherer will also arrange for staff to actually use the FDIO during a subsequent visit totest the hypothesis that it may be difficult to find a "DME" that the computer will accept.H e also provided in format ion on how to contact hi s predecessor who was the towercommander of record on 9-11.

C O M M I S S I O N S E N S I T I V EU N C L A S S I F I E D