Flight 93 Passengers Counterattack Terrorists on 9/11

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, killed 2,700 innocent people. We will never forget the lives lost or the heroes who stood tall in the face of evil.

September 11, 2001, started out as any other day for the 40 people -33 passengers and 7 crew members - aboard United Airlines Flight 93. It was a warm, sunny day as the half-filled airplane departed Newark, New Jersey, headed to San Fransisco, California at 8:42 a.m., slightly behind schedule, and minutes before the first of two airplanes struck the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center. Minutes later, a third plane struck the western side of the Pentagon.

Passengers and crew aboard Flight 93 had no idea they were aboard one of four airplanes terrorists from the Islamic hate group al-Queda would hijack in suicide missions against the U.S. Four terrorists boarded the plane armed with knives and other weapons intent on carrying out a suicide mission against the U.S.

Terrorists Take Over Flight 93

Ed Ballinger, a United Airlines dispatcher, alerted aircraft pilots about the attacks on the World Trade Center at 9:19 a.m., reaching Flight 93 with the news at 9:23 a.m. Flight 93 Captain Jason Dahl, confused by the information, asked for clarification at 9:26 a.m. At 9:28 a.m. hijackers began their takeover.

It's unclear why the terrorists waited over 40 minutes into the flight to begin the attack. At that time, air traffic controllers heard what they believed to be two mayday calls and sounds of a struggle.

At 9:32 a.m. a man later identified as Ziad Jarrah, a trained pilot and al-Queda terrorist, was heard on the data recorder directing passengers to sit down as he informed them a bomb was aboard the plane. Jarrah then reset the autopilot, turning the plane around to head east.

Another terrorist directed the passengers to the First Class section of the airplane. Many of them began calling family and loved ones using inflight Airfones while others notified authorities their plane had been hijacked. Some passengers were informed of the three other hijacked flights and how two had crashed into the World Trade Center. Although likely terrified and confused by the news, the passengers would never get the opportunity to see the sheer destruction and devastation.

A Counterattack Begins

Although passengers likely didn’t yet know America was under attack, they did know the terrorists planned to crash the plane into a federal building, most likely the U.S. Capitol, experts say. They knew the terrorists planned to kill them. As the passengers frantically sat in First Class away from the ensuing attack, they took a vote and decided they would fight back. Their decision to counterattack consequently saved the lives of countless people.

Some of the passengers phoned family to inform them of their plans to attack. Thomas Burnett Jr. told his wife, “I know we’re all going to die. There’s three of us who are going to do something about it. I love you, honey.”

Todd Beamer can be heard on an open line saying, “Are you guys ready? Let’s roll!”

At 9:57 a.m. 29 minutes after the terrorists took over the plane, the aircraft hovered in the sky in Western Pennsylvania as passengers began their counterattack, as recorded by the cockpit voice recorder. The airplane was just 18 minutes from Washington, D.C.

The cockpit recorder picked up the sounds of thumping and loud noises. Passengers are yelling, and Tom Burnett yells “In the cockpit!” The airplane begins to shake and shimmy from side to side and up and down. The terrorists did this in an attempt to throw the passengers off balance as they attempted to take over the cockpit.

Tom yelled, “I’m injured,” as if to tell the other passengers to carry on the attack without him. Screaming and shouting are heard on the cockpit recorder. The terrorists were obviously frightened as the passengers attempted to take over the airplane.

Flight 93 Crashed Into Pennsylvania Field

At 10:02 a.m. a voice is heard saying “Yes, put it in it, and pull it down.” Six minutes after the counterattack began, the scared terrorists crashed the aircraft, traveling at 580 MPH, into an open field near Shanksville, PA.

The crash destroyed hundreds of acres of land, littered the grounds with remnants of the airplane, and left a debris field eight miles from the crash site. Although no human remains were recovered, detectives located the flight recorder and the cockpit data recorder, which was located 25 feet underground.

The Brave Passengers Aboard Flight 93

Flight 93 is the only airplane of the four hijacked by terrorists that did not reach its intended target.

The brave men and women aboard Flight 93 who fought back undoubtedly thwarted the attack on the U.S. Capitol, untimely saving the lives of countless people. Although all 40 people aboard the airplane died that day, they did not die in vain: they went down as heroes and their legacy continues to warn hearts and inspire others 22 years after their tragic deaths.

We Will Never Forget the Brave Heroism of the Crew and Passengers on Flight 93

Crew:

• Captain Jason M. Dahl
• First Officer LeRoy Homer
• Lorraine G. Bay
• Sandy Waugh Bradshaw
• Wanda Anita Green
• CeeCee Ross Lyles
• Deborah Jacobs Welsh

Passengers:

• Christian Adams
• Todd M. Beamer
• Alan Anthony Beaven
• Mark Bingham
• Deora Frances Bodley
• Marion R. Britton
• Thomas E. Burnett, Jr.
• William Joseph Cashman
• Georgine Rose Corrigan
• Patricia Cushing
• Joseph DeLuca
• Patrick Joseph Driscoll
• Edward Porter Felt
• Jane C. Folger
• Colleen L. Fraser
• Andrew (Sonny) Garcia
• Jeremy Logan Glick
• Kristin Osterholm White Gould
• Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas
• Donald Freeman Greene
• Linda Gronlund
• Richard J. Guadagno
• Toshiya Kuge
• Hilda Marcin
• Waleska Martinez
• Nicole Carol Miller
• Louis J. Nacke II
• Donald Arthur Peterson
• Jean Hoadley Peterson
• Mark David Rothenberg
• Christine Ann Snyder
• John Talignani
• Honor Elizabeth Wainio

Check out my other stories about 9/11 for more information about the terrorist attacks that forever changed America.