May 7, 2004

WASHINGTON -- Air traffic controllers who handled two of the hijacked flights on Sept. 11 recorded their experiences shortly after the planes crashed into the World Trade Center but a supervisor destroyed the tape, a government report said Thursday.

The destruction occurred despite an FAA order three days after the hijackings: ''Retain and secure until further notice ALL Administrative/Operational data and records.''

The supervisor said he destroyed the tape because it violated FAA policy calling for written statements from controllers who have handled a plane involved in an accident or other serious incident. He also said he felt the controllers were not in the right frame of mind to have consented to the taping, the report said.

The report did not characterize the tape's destruction as an attempted cover-up.

AP