Ordinary men, extraordinary defiance: The untold story of the Flight 93 passenger uprising that saved the US Capitol on 9/11
One of the most important moments during the 2001 terrorist attacks took place on United Airlines Flight 93 when the co-pilot called the wife of Tom Burnett, who happened to be a passenger in the aircraft at the time. With the help of this telephone conversation, one could learn the details of what exactly happened in the cockpit of this hijacked aircraft until it was eventually brought down to earth.
As the twenty-fifth anniversary of the largest terrorist act in history draws near, which resulted in the loss of more than two thousand nine hundred seventy people, this article will cover the last hours of passengers on board the hijacked plane and the ordinary people who proved to be true heroes that day.
Horror begins at home in California on September 11th
At the same time when television was broadcasting the attack on New York, there was no immediate way for Deena Burnett to understand that her husband is involved in what was happening.
Unexpected departure: An employee of the company producing medical devices had to return from a business trip early and therefore chose the plane for the journey home to San Francisco.
The first breakthrough: At 9:27 AM, Tom received Deena's call after several unsuccessful mobile attempts. She immediately dispelled his fears of any trouble: "No, I'm not. I'm on an airplane that has been hijacked. They just knifed a guy."
The airfone anomaly: Although official data prove that there were no cellular contacts available at high altitudes, there is evidence that many people used seatback Airfones to call their families on the ground.
How Deena's information uncovered the Al-Qaeda plan
The following phone calls turned innocent passengers into fighters since ground intelligence gained access to the aircraft.
Connecting the dots: During a 9:34 AM call, Deena said to Tom that some other hijacked planes had already destroyed two towers of the World Trade Center.
Understanding the objective: Having learned about the terrible context, Tom came to understand what was the real purpose of the plot. He told his wife that "They're talking about crashing this plane... Oh my gosh! It's a suicide mission."
Taking control of the situation: As soon as the Pentagon became another target for the terrorists, the passengers understood that the time had run out and began to organize their resistance to the hijackers.
Final attack and crashing into Shanksville
The passenger attack started at 9:57 AM when unarmed civilians confronted the hijackers on the plane.
Cockpit battle: The voice recorder picked up noises such as shouting, shattering of objects, and the fight as the passengers managed to enter the flight deck.
Evasion of the destination: With the growing unrest among passengers, the hijacker pilot Ziad Jarrah used aggressive maneuvers to divert the plane before making it dive onto the ground.
Ultimate sacrifice: The plane hit an open field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at 10:03 AM, thus killing all the 40 passengers and crew onboard, but preventing any harm to either the White House or the Capitol Building in the United States.