United 93: "It was Clear That We Would... Take the Aircraft Down"

Interestingly, at least one of those cell phone calls also recorded a significant explosion.

IIRC, it was reported that at least one of the terrorists on board did have a bomb. The movie, United 93 made about that flight, and the passengers who fought back, also showed that one of the terrorists strapped on a bomb to gain compliance of the crew and passengers. It's likely that in the struggle, the bomb was detonated.

Even if they had shot United 93 from the sky, it would have been preferable to what may have lay ahead with an even greater loss of life in a highly populated area.

I was at the scene. I have seen aerial photos taken above the site.

The crater was narrowly diamond-shaped. You could clearly see the outline of the wings and the fuselage. The aircraft went in almost vertical. This was confirmed for me when climbed to the top of a giant abandoned drag line crane and could look down at the crater and see the general outline of it, even though the FBI had been digging in it with heavy equipment.

I have also seen a still photo taken seconds after the impact. Big, black mushroom cloud. My boss was the second guy at the site and kept it framed in his office.

The plane may have been coming apart from aerodynamic stresses. The speed and angle of impact, it would seem to me, would be like popping a paper bag, enhanced by the instant atomization and detonation of the fuel onboard.

We found the cockpit down about 60 feet. (This was a reclaimed strip mine with the loose overburden pushed back into the cut and graded over.) Debris was found miles away - east, not along the flight path.

I think that the UASF was attempting to intercept the plane. I believe they were prepared to bring it down if it continued toward Washington. The plane at the point of impact was maybe 20 minutes from DC. However, I don’t believe they did quite catch up with it before the efforts of the passengers to retake the cockpit forced the hijackers to crash the plane. The ‘black box’ recordings of the noises in the cockpit support this.

Guys I worked with saw at least one F-16 pursuing at at full afterburner about 60 miles back, right about the time the plane went in.

I think the first plane over the scene though was a corporate jet that was in the area and circled over to confirm the crash site for the ATC.

*snip*

Is it true that there was a passenger on board who may have been able to land the airplane?

Yes. Donald F. Greene, 52, of Greenwich Connecticut was the Executive Vice President of The Safe Flight Instrument Corporation, and he was also a licensed pilot of small aircraft. There is no conclusive evidence that the plan to take over the plane involved Donald Greene piloting the Boeing 757.

It is suspected that Greene was the passenger who attempted to call an emergency operator after locking himself in one of the plane’s bathrooms. Based on his personality, it is very probable that Greene may have subsequently played a key role in the planned takeover of the aircraft, quite possibly as its new pilot. -(nytimes.com)

http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/united93.php

Absolutely. What a humble, steadfast professional.
Makes me proud and inspired. And she’s willing to die for her precious country, as they all are. God bless and protect her and all those unseen heroes, fighting and guarding our safety every day. Imagine the weight and
consequences on her shoulders, along with the rest of her small crew, on 9/11. Shudder .. no higher courage.

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