FAA halts all air takeoffs in U.S. for first time

By John Hughes
Bloomberg News

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration ordered all planes grounded at U.S. airports, for the first time ever, after at least two planes crashed into New York's World Trade Center.

"Planes that are in the air will be landed or will land, but the ground stop now is indefinite and there are no aircraft taking off," said spokeswoman Laura Brown. The so-called national ground stop began at 9:25 a.m., Brown said. All international flights coming into the U.S. are being diverted to Canada, FAA spokesman William Shumann said.

Planes crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, causing fire and explosions and the collapse of both buildings. President George Bush said it was an "apparent terrorist attack."

Blasts rocked the buildings about 9 a.m. New York time after the planes crashed into the building. One later exploded, spewing flames and black smoke and prompting the evacuation of the buildings. That explosion was followed by one at the Pentagon.

The FAA wouldn't immediately confirm any more details about the air crashes. The takeoff halt is "a measure we took because we thought it was prudent," Brown said.

U.S. planes in the air are to land at pilot discretion, the FAA said. The airports in the New York and Washington areas are closed, which means planes cannot even land at those airports, Shumann said.

AMR Corp. declined to comment. Spokesmen for the company were in a briefing and weren't immediately taking calls.

UAL Corp. spokesman Chris Brathwaite said "I have no information. I cannot comment," when asked if a UAL jet had been involved in the World Trade Center crash.