As part of its 20th-anniversary commemoration efforts for 9/11, the Eastern Air Defense Sector arranged for a unit photograph to be taken at the nearby Griffiss International Airport on June 9, 2021
As part of its 20th-anniversary commemoration activities, the Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS) took a group image to be shot on June 9, 2021, at the nearby Griffiss International Airport.
When two F-16s from the Ohio Air National Guard’s 180th Fighter Wing, in central New York for a training flight, became available to serve as a backdrop for the photograph, they provided some firepower.
According to Timothy Jones of the New York National Guard, who was quoted in the story EADS snaps a group photo with an F-16 that responded to 9/11 terror attacks, it is a fitting coincidence that one of the F-16s had responded to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. On that particular day, the planes were controlled and guided by EADS, one of the first armed forces to respond to the attacks.
“This is the first ‘EADS-all’ photograph we’ve ever done,” said EADS Commander Col. Paul M. Bishop, who has served at the unit for 30 years. “Getting more than 150 New York Air National Guardsmen, Canadian Forces members, and civilians together made the photo memorable, but including an aircraft that responded on 9/11 made it a historic keepsake.”
“My uncle was the crew chief for this plane, tail number 89-114, on Sept. 11, so I knew its background,” said 1st Lt. Todd Copic, the aircraft’s pilot from the 180th Fighter Wing’s 112th Fighter Squadron. “When we learned that the photo was part of EADS 9/11 commemoration, I verified the aircraft’s history as soon I could.”
Uncle of Lt. Copic, Senior Master Sgt. Terry Copic claimed to have been preparing an F-16 for a normal flight on September 11, 2001.
Copic claimed, “The pilot and I went through the launch procedures and I had started to marshal the aircraft out when a co-worker pulled up and announced that an aircraft had hit the World Trade Center.”
“My plane powered up and taxied out to the end-of-runway, where it turned around and came back. The sortie was canceled. All flights in the United States were grounded, the pilot told me and the pilot went to get more information,” Copic added.
Copic moved to the maintenance hangar after fueling 114. Everyone was gathered around the Maintenance Group Commander when he entered. He only heard those words, “That’s what we know, let’s get to work,” he recalled.
As airmen raced outside in the direction of the flight line, Copic was grabbed. “Let’s go, they need your jet,” they told him.
“I rushed back to 114, where weapons troops were pushing out Universal Ammunition Loading Systems (UALs) to load the guns with inert bullets – the only weapons we had on 9/11,” Copic said. “They pushed the UAL to aircraft 90-0700, just across from mine, and a pilot ran past me to that jet.”
Copic recalled that the crew leader halted him because the plane was damaged and impossible to fly. Only two flyable, entirely mission-capable jets were on the ramp, according to Copic.
“One was my jet. The other was being loaded right next to mine,” he said. “I rushed over to the broken jet and told everyone my aircraft was ready to go. I just needed the bullets. “
Weapons started loading after we pushed the UAL to 114. I inquired as to the situation as the pilot was getting ready to take off. He claimed that a hijacked jet was traveling in our direction. We were pursuing it.
Copic secured the pilot after loading. “I have to get in the air now,” the pilot told him.
The pilot was pursuing what they later learned to be United Airlines Flight 93 within a few minutes, according to Copic.
“I didn’t see the pilot again until about 1900 that night. He hadn’t made it to Flight 93, but he had intercepted several small planes that weren’t aware that every aircraft in the country had been ordered to land,” Copic recalled.
“Flying this plane here wasn’t intentional,” Lt. Copic added, “but it was certainly appropriate.”
Photo by Airman 1st Class Tiffany Scofield / U.S. Air National Guard