At 9:42 am , the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ) grounded all civilian aircraft within the continental U.S. , and civilian aircraft already in flight were told to land immediately . All international civilian aircraft were either turned back or redirected to airports in Canada or Mexico , and were banned from landing on United States territory for three days . The attacks created widespread confusion among news organizations and air traffic controllers . Among the unconfirmed and often contradictory news reports aired throughout the day , one of the most prevalent said a car bomb had been detonated at the U.S. State Department 's headquarters in Washington , D.C. Another jet — Delta Air Lines Flight 1989 — was suspected of having been hijacked , but the aircraft responded to controllers and landed safely in Cleveland , Ohio
Delta Air Lines Flight 1989
Delta Air Lines Flight 1989
September 11 attacks