Posted on 08/07/2003 4:22:34 PM PDT by dead
WASHINGTON - U.S. investigators now believe that a hijacker in the cockpit aboard United Airlines Flight 93 instructed terrorist-pilot Ziad Jarrah to crash the jetliner into a Pennsylvania field because of a passenger uprising in the cabin.
This theory, based on the government's analysis of cockpit recordings, discounts the popular perception of insurgent passengers grappling with terrorists to seize the plane's controls.
The government's findings — laid out deep within the report on the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that was sent to Congress last month — aim to resolve one of the enduring mysteries of the deadliest terror attacks in U.S. history: What happened in the final minutes aboard Flight 93?
The FBI strenuously maintains that its analysis does not diminish the heroism of passengers who — with the words "Let's roll" — apparently rushed down the airliner's narrow aisle to try to overtake the hijackers.
President Bush and Attorney General John Ashcroft have regularly praised the courage of those aboard Flight 93, some of whom told family members by telephone they were planning to storm the cockpit.
"While no one will ever know exactly what transpired in the final minutes of Flight 93, every shred of evidence indicates this plane crashed because of the heroic actions of the passengers," FBI spokeswoman Susan Whitson said Thursday.
Thirty-three passengers, seven crew members and the four hijackers died.
Citing transcripts of the still-secret cockpit recordings, FBI Director Robert Mueller told congressional investigators in a closed briefing last year that, minutes before Flight 93 hit the ground, one of the hijackers "advised Jarrah to crash the plane and end the passengers' attempt to retake the airplane."
Jarrah is thought to have been the terrorist-pilot because he was the only of the four hijackers aboard known to have a pilot's license.
Mueller's description was disclosed in a brief passage far into the 858-page report to Congress. Previous statements by FBI and other government officials have been ambiguous about what occurred in the cockpit.
Mueller's explanation was based on the FBI's efforts to decipher the cacophonous sounds on the cockpit recorder and produce a comprehensive transcript, said one official, speaking only on condition of anonymity.
The FBI is convinced it may never know for certain what transpired in those final moments, but Mueller represented the information as the FBI's leading theory, this official said.
The same cockpit recording was played privately in April 2002 for family members of victims aboard Flight 93, and the FBI also provided them with its best effort at producing an understandable transcript.
Some family members indicated afterward they were led to believe that passengers used a food cart as a shield and successfully broke into the cockpit.
The FBI has been loath to publicly put forward a contradictory theory out of sensitivity to the families and because of uncertainty about what happened.
People who have heard the recording describe it as nearly indecipherable, containing static noises, cockpit alarms and wind interspersed with cries in English and Arabic. Near the end of the tape, sounds can be heard of breaking glass and crashing dishes — lending credence to the theory that passengers used the food cart to rush the jetliner's narrow aisle.
Separately, the data recorder showed the plane's wings rocking violently as the jet flew too low and too fast for safe flight.
Intelligence officials believe the likely target for Flight 93 was the White House, based on information from Abu Zubaydah, a senior al-Qaida terrorist leader in U.S. custody who is believed to have played a key role in organizing the Sept. 11 attacks.
Prosecutors have sought a U.S. judge's permission to play recordings from Flight 93 during the terrorism trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, the only defendant in a U.S. case prosecutors have directly tied to the attacks. Moussaoui is accused of conspiring with the hijackers.
The government has said it can link Moussaoui to Jarrah, using a telephone number found on a business card recovered at the Shanksville, Pa., crash site. Prosecutors believe the card belonged to Jarrah and that Moussaoui had called the same number.
Moussaoui has acknowledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida but says he was not involved in the attacks.
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Correction:
They knew that if they did nothing they would be dead,
It doesn't. Any study of the valourous efforts of those who earned the Medal of Honor will find examples in which the military results hoped for were unsuccessful, or in which eventual overall success in that theater or war was a failure, through no fault of any individidual soldier, sailor or Marine. That does not lessen the valour or merit of their actions, and that's the case with those aboard Flight 93.
They died fighting, not like sheep, and for whatever reason, those in our government are concerned others will follow their example.
-archy-/-
Which remains to me one of the absolute mysteries of 9-11.SOPs in place were not followed.Does the report have anything on this aspect buried somewhere in its bowels?
Which is the way I read the article. No contradiction. There is a difference between cabin and cockpit.
I get so mad when the dems attack the President. 9-11 was the start of the War on Terrorism and we were attacked.
Do you notice that dem politicians never talk about September 11? Instead, they criticize a govt that they are part of. They are aiding and abetting the enemy when they go balistic and this administration is serious about preventing another 9-11.
Dubya was going to be the education president but history changed his course. He was in Sarasota with grade schoolers that morning. What a horrible day that was but we will not falter, we will not tire.
The point is that they weren't successful. Not that it really diminishes anything, but is something I've known for some time now.
Why? In both scenarios, the passengers were fighting heroically against the low life scum who hijacked the plane. In both scenarios, the sick freaks died knowing that their mission would not be successful due to the efforts of the passengers.
So the terrorists were planning to crash into that field?
I would like to know exactly what the "advise" was. Note that Mueller did not say "fly the plane into the ground". He said "crash the plane".
One of the hijackerrs had a bomb around his waist. This was reported by the passengers in their phone calls.
Perhaps the instruction was to detonate the bomb. This would crash the plane and end the passengers' heroic assault.
Speculation: this information will eventually be confirmed by the government. They still don't want you to know the hijackers had bombs because TSA still cannot keep bombs off planes. Hand searches of luggage will not find bombs and there aren't enough bomb sniffing machines at airports yet. When the travelling public is better protected they will release the complete story of Flight 93.
Also, a few days ago the feds issued a warning about ordinary objects hiding knives and bombs and renewed threats to the air industry.
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