United Airlines flight 93

United Airlines flight 93, domestic passenger flight that was hijacked on September 11, 2001, as part of a coordinated terrorist attack on the United States by al-Qaeda. It is believed that the hijackers intended to fly the plane into a building in Washington, D.C., possibly the U.S. Capitol or the White House. However, passengers fought to retake control of the aircraft, and during the struggle hijackers crashed the plane into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The site is now a national memorial.

Timeline of flight 93

Note: All times listed are Eastern Daylight Time.

• 8:42 AM: United Airlines flight 93 departs from Newark International Airport in New Jersey, headed to San Francisco. Aboard are 7 crew members and 37 passengers, including 4 hijackers.
• 9:24 AM: Flight 93 is notified by a United dispatcher that two planes (American Airlines flight 11 and United Airlines flight 175) have flown into the World Trade Center. In addition, there is a warning to be alert for “cockpit intrusion.” Two minutes later the pilot asks the dispatcher to confirm the message.
• 9:29 AM: Hijackers on flight 93 attack the cockpit. “Mayday” is declared over a radio transmission and sounds of a physical struggle are heard. On another transmission seconds later, someone yells “get out of here.”
• 9:32 AM: A hijacker announces, “Ladies and Gentlemen: Here the captain, please sit down keep remaining sitting. We have a bomb on board. So, sit.” Passengers begin making phone calls, and they learn about the World Trade Center.
• 9:41 AM: The transponder is turned off.
• 9:57 AM: Passengers vote to rush the cockpit in an attempt to retake the plane. During a call with an air phone operator, Todd Beamer, one of the passengers, is heard saying, “Are you ready. Okay. Let’s roll.” The latter phrase became a rallying cry during the war on terror. Despite a hijacker rolling the aircraft from side to side—and later up and down—the passengers continue to batter at the cockpit door.
• 10:02 AM: With the passengers apparently close to breaching the cockpit door, the hijackers decide to “pull it down” and begin a sharp descent. During this time, the plane rolls upside down. Subsequent audio recordings have led some to believe that the passengers managed to get inside the cockpit and struggle over the controls.
• 10:03 AM: Flight 93 crashes in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing everyone on board. The plane would have reached Washington, D.C.—its suspected destination—in about 20 minutes.

How does United Airlines flight 93 fit into the larger timeline of events on September 11, 2001? Read Britannica’s Timeline of the September 11 Attacks.

Other hijacked planes

In addition to flight 93, three other planes were also hijacked on September 11, 2001: American Airlines flight 11, United Airlines flight 175, and American Airlines flight 77. Flights 11 and 175 were flown into the World Trade Center in New York City. The crashes and subsequent collapse of the North and South towers resulted in the deaths of 2,753 people, per official records. Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon in Virginia, killing 184 people.

Memorial and movie

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A national memorial was later created at the crash site of United Airlines flight 93. Named Flight 93 National Memorial, it includes a white marble wall with the names of the passengers and crew. A 93-foot (28-meter) tall structure, known as the Tower of Voices, was later added. It features 40 wind chimes, representing all those on board the plane (excluding the hijackers). In 2018 the wreckage of flight 93—which had been collected for an investigation into the September 11 attacks and was then put into storage—was buried at the site.

The story of flight was recounted in numerous books. In addition, United 93 (2006) is a real-time movie of the flight. It was widely praised and earned two Academy Award nominations, including a best director nod for Paul Greengrass.