On September 11, 2001, four al Qaeda terrorists hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 shortly after it departed Newark International Airport in New Jersey for San Francisco. The hijackers stormed the cockpit, overpowered the captain and first officer, and turned the Boeing 757 toward Washington, D.C.
As news of the attacks in New York spread among passengers, those aboard Flight 93 realized their plane was likely part of the terrorist operation. Shortly before 10 a.m., a group of passengers and crew members launched a counterattack and attempted to retake the cockpit as ground controllers listened in.
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The hijackers responded by violently maneuvering the aircraft, rolling and pitching the plane in an attempt to prevent the passengers from reaching the cockpit. Flight 93 crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at 10:03 a.m., killing all 44 people aboard.
Below is the transcript of one of the final calls on Flight 93 between passenger Todd Beamer and air traffic control worker Lisa Jefferson.
Call Transcript
Todd: Hello… Operator… listen to me… I can’t speak very loud. This is an emergency. I’m a passenger on a United flight to San Francisco. We have a situation here. … Our plane has been hijacked. … Can you understand me?
Lisa: (exhaling a deep breath to herself) I understand… Can the hijackers see you talking on the phone?
Todd: No.
Lisa: Can you tell me how many hijackers are on the plane?
Todd: There are three that we know of.
Lisa: Can you see any weapons? What kind of weapons do they have?
Todd: Yes. … They don’t have guns. … They have knives. They took over the plane with knives.
Lisa: Do you mean… like steak knives?
Todd: No, these are razor knives… like box cutters.
Lisa: Can you tell what country these people are from?
Todd: No. … I don’t know. They sound like they’re from the mid-east.
Lisa: Have they said what they want?
Todd: Someone announced from the cockpit that there was a bomb on board. He said he was the captain and to stay in our seats and stay quiet. He said that they were meeting these men’s demands and returning to the airport. … It was very broken English, and… I’m telling you… it sounded fake!
Lisa: OK sir, please give me your name.
Todd: My name is Todd Beamer.
Lisa: Ok, Todd….my name is Lisa…Do you know your flight number? If you can’t remember, it’s on your ticket.
Todd: It’s United Flight 93.
Lisa: Now, Todd, can you try to tell me exactly what happened?
Todd: Two of the hijackers were sitting in first class near the cockpit. A third one was sitting near the back of the coach section. The two up front got into the cockpit somehow — there was shouting. The third hijacker said he had a bomb. It looks like a bomb. He’s got it tied to his waist with a red belt of some kind.
Lisa: So is the door to the cockpit open?
Todd: No, the hijackers shut it behind them.
Lisa: Has anyone been injured?
Todd: Yes, they… they killed one passenger sitting in first class. There’s been lots of shouting. We don’t know if the pilots are dead or alive. A flight attendant told me that the pilot and copilot had been forced from the cockpit and may have been wounded.
Lisa: Where is the third hijacker now, Todd?
Todd: He’s near the back of the plane. They forced most of the passengers into first class. There are 14 of us here in the back. Five are flight attendants. He hasn’t noticed that I slipped into this pantry to get the phone. The guy with the bomb ordered us to sit on the floor in the rear of the plane. … Oh Jesus… Help!
Lisa: Todd… Are you OK? Tell me what’s happening!
Todd: Hello… We’re going down….I think we’re going to crash… Wait, wait a minute. No, we’re leveling off… we’re OK. I think we may be turning around… That’s it, we changed directions. Do you hear me… we’re flying east again.
Lisa: OK Todd… What’s going on with the other passengers?
Todd: Everyone is… really scared. A few passengers with cellphones have made calls to relatives. A guy, Jeremy, was talking to his wife just before the hijacking started. She told him that hijackers had crashed two planes into the World Trade Center… Lisa, is that true?
Lisa: Todd… I have to tell you the truth… It’s very bad. The World Trade Center is gone. Both of the towers have been destroyed.
Todd: Oh God, help us!
Lisa: A third plane was taken over by terrorists. It crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Our country is under attack… and I’m afraid that your plane may be part of their plan.
Todd: Oh dear God, dear God… Lisa, will you do something for me?
Lisa: I’ll try… if I can… Yes.
Todd: I want you to call my wife and my kids for me and tell them what’s happened. Promise me you’ll call.
Lisa: I promise, I’ll call.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
