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United Airlines Flight 93 was a scheduled passenger flight that was hijacked by four al-Qaeda terrorists on September 11, 2001, as part of the September 11 attacks. The flight, which was en route from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco, California, never reached its destination. Instead, it crashed in a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, about 80 miles from Pittsburgh. The hijackers' intended target was likely the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., but the plane never made it there due to the brave actions of the passengers and crew, who fought back.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | September 11, 2001 |
| Airline | United Airlines |
| Aircraft | Boeing 757-200 |
| Departure Airport | Newark International Airport, New Jersey |
| Destination Airport | San Francisco International Airport, California |
| Number of Passengers | 33-44 |
| Number of Crew | 7 |
| Crashed | In a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania |
| Crash Site Near | Shanksville, Pa |
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What You'll Learn
- Flight 93 was a domestic flight from Newark, New Jersey to San Francisco, California
- The flight was hijacked by four al-Qaeda terrorists on September 11, 2001
- The passengers fought back, forcing the plane to crash in a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania
- The target was likely the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C
- A memorial site, the Flight 93 National Memorial, was opened near the crash site
Flight 93 was a domestic flight from Newark, New Jersey to San Francisco, California
Flight 93 was a domestic, scheduled passenger flight that was hijacked by four al-Qaeda terrorists on the morning of September 11, 2001, as part of the September 11 attacks. The flight was scheduled to fly from Newark International Airport in New Jersey to San Francisco International Airport in California.
The Boeing 757-200 aircraft, with a capacity of 182 passengers, was carrying 44 passengers and crew. It departed Newark at 8:42 a.m., more than 40 minutes late due to heavy airport congestion. The flight was heading to San Francisco, California, making it the only plane hijacked that day that was not bound for Los Angeles.
About 46 minutes into the flight, as the plane flew across Pennsylvania, the terrorists overtook the cockpit, turning the plane southeast towards Washington, D.C. The passengers and crew were forced to the back of the plane and told to remain quiet. However, using airphones, they started making calls to report the hijacking and soon learned about the other hijacked planes, realizing that Flight 93 was part of a larger attack.
The passengers and crew of Flight 93 fought back against the terrorists, forcing them to crash the plane in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, rather than reaching their intended target in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, everyone aboard the flight perished in the crash. The heroic actions of those on board saved countless lives and prevented further devastation on a day that had already seen so many tragedies.
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The flight was hijacked by four al-Qaeda terrorists on September 11, 2001
United Airlines Flight 93 was scheduled to fly from Newark International Airport in New Jersey to San Francisco International Airport in California on the morning of September 11, 2001. The flight was hijacked by four al-Qaeda terrorists as part of the September 11 attacks.
The terrorists targeted domestic flights with few passengers to minimise resistance, and they chose aircraft they had been trained to pilot. They also selected non-stop, coast-to-coast flights with full fuel tanks to maximise destruction and timed the attacks to occur simultaneously for a coordinated strike.
Flight 93 was delayed by over 25 minutes due to heavy airport congestion. During this time, two other hijacked flights, Flights 11 and 175, struck the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center complex in New York City.
At around 9:28 a.m., about 40 minutes after takeoff, the terrorists on Flight 93 overtook the cockpit, turning the plane southeast towards Washington, D.C. The passengers and crew were forced to the back of the plane and told to remain quiet. However, using airphones, they managed to alert authorities about the hijacking and learned about the other hijacked planes, realising that Flight 93 was part of a larger attack.
The passengers and crew of Flight 93 fought back against the terrorists, forcing them to crash the plane in a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, instead of reaching their intended target in Washington, D.C. All 40 passengers and crew on board perished, but their courageous actions prevented the terrorists from crashing the plane into the United States Capitol Building, where legislators were in session, and saved countless lives on the ground.
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The passengers fought back, forcing the plane to crash in a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania
On September 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 93, a domestic scheduled passenger flight, was hijacked by four al-Qaeda terrorists. The flight, a Boeing 757-200, was scheduled to fly from Newark International Airport in New Jersey to San Francisco International Airport in California. It was the only plane hijacked that day that was not bound for Los Angeles.
The terrorists targeted domestic flights that typically had few passengers so they would have less resistance. They also chose flights that used the type of aircraft they had been trained to pilot and were non-stop, coast-to-coast flights with full fuel tanks to cause maximum destruction.
At around 9:28 a.m., after 46 minutes of routine flight across Pennsylvania, the terrorists overtook the cockpit, turning the plane southeast on a course directed toward Washington, D.C. The passengers and crew were forced to the back of the plane and told to be quiet. However, using airphones, they began making calls to report the hijacking and soon learned about the other hijacked planes, realizing that Flight 93 was part of a larger attack on America. This realization led to a vote and a collective decision to fight back.
In just over 30 minutes, the passengers and crew of Flight 93 developed a plan and put it into action. They charged the cockpit, causing the hijackers to abort their mission and crash the plane in a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The plane plowed into an empty field at a speed of 563 miles per hour, and upon impact, the 5,500 gallons of jet fuel on board exploded, creating a ball of fire. Unfortunately, everyone aboard the flight perished, but their brave actions prevented the terrorists from reaching their intended target, likely the United States Capitol Building, and saved countless lives.
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The target was likely the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C
United Airlines Flight 93 was a scheduled passenger flight that was hijacked by four al-Qaeda terrorists on the morning of September 11, 2001, as part of the September 11 attacks. The flight was a daily scheduled morning flight from Newark International Airport in New Jersey to San Francisco International Airport in California.
Flight 93 was the only hijacked plane that day that was not bound for Los Angeles. It was also the only flight that did not take off on schedule, facing a delay of more than 25 minutes due to heavy airport congestion.
The terrorists targeted domestic flights with few passengers to face less resistance, and they chose aircraft they had been trained to pilot. They also targeted non-stop, coast-to-coast flights with full fuel tanks to cause maximum destruction.
The hijackers' plan was to crash the plane into a federal government building in Washington, D.C. They turned the plane southeast, directing it towards the nation's capital. The intended target was likely the United States Capitol Building, where the nation's legislators were in session. This was confirmed by Salim Hamdan, bin Laden's driver, who told interrogators that he knew the flight was heading for the Capitol. The Capitol was chosen as a target because it was a symbolic location of the US government, and the White House was considered a tougher target.
The terrorists' mission failed partially due to the passengers' brave fightback, forcing the plane to crash in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, about 20 minutes away from reaching Washington, D.C. All forty passengers and crew members on board the flight were killed. The passengers' heroic actions saved countless lives and prevented the destruction of either the White House or the Capitol.
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A memorial site, the Flight 93 National Memorial, was opened near the crash site
On September 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 93, a domestic scheduled passenger flight, was hijacked by four al-Qaeda terrorists. The hijackers had planned to crash the plane into a federal government building in Washington, D.C. However, the passengers and crew fought back, forcing the terrorists to crash the plane in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Everyone aboard the flight was killed.
Metal debris from Flight 93 was found at the memorial site as recently as 2021, 20 years after the crash. The area is still healing from the tragedy, with the ground at the site finally recovering two decades later. The memorial site is a testament to the heroic actions of the passengers and crew of Flight 93, who fought back against the hijackers and prevented them from carrying out their intended attack.
The Flight 93 National Memorial serves as a reminder of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and honours the memory of those who lost their lives in the crash. It is a place where families and loved ones can grieve and pay their respects, and it stands as a symbol of the strength and resilience of those on board the flight who fought to prevent a larger tragedy from occurring.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Flight 93 did not land at an airport. The plane crashed in a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, near the town of Shanksville.
Flight 93 was scheduled to fly from Newark International Airport in New Jersey to San Francisco International Airport in California. However, the hijackers intended to crash the plane into a federal government building in Washington, D.C.
On September 11, 2001, Flight 93 was hijacked by four al-Qaeda terrorists. The passengers and crew fought back, which led to the plane crashing in Pennsylvania instead of reaching its intended target in Washington, D.C.
