Hijacker Crashed Flight 93 on 9/11

AP via Yahoo! ^ | 8/7/03 | TED BRIDIS, Associated Press Writer

[eno_]

You are quite correct about cell phones working. The main "problem" with using cell phones on commercial airplanes is that you are doing a hand-off every couple of seconds. That stopped really being a problem a while ago. Modern mobile infrastructure can handle that, even though the network wasn't really designed for that - i.e. the VLR databases won't crash under heavy loads of transactions as a planeload of people moves from one roaming area to another. It is completely beliveable people called loved ones from cell phone on flight 93.

[carton253]

Why is it so important to you that they didn't make it into the cockpit?

The plane went down in the field because they passengers decided to fight back. Simple enough.

[habs4ever]

One of the passengers was indeed a pilot and could have flown the plane.

[Pukka Puck]

The Mirror is tabloid trash which you should NEVER cite as
a source if you want to remain credible.

[MissAmericanPie]

The F.B.I. is right, it doesn't diminish their heroism. If the plane had remained in level flight, I have no doubt they would have made it into the cockpit.

Most likely these hero's fell on the cockpit door, as the plane nose dived toward the ground. If they had done nothing, we would be talking about rebuilding the White House.

[Tribune7]

Heroes enough for me. They TRIED

It should be noted they succeeded. The attack was foiled because they acted.

[DBrow]

American Copper Beech (one of my favorite trees by the way), the article refers to a white jet, twin engine pods to the rear, with vertical vanes on the wingtips. Sounds like a commuter, corporate-type, or rich person's toy type of plane. Not the kind of craft that would carry AIM-9 missiles.

A grey plane with lots of wing pods and enclosed engines, that would sound like a military jet.

To require a general aviation plane to be armed with missiles or a cannon is a whole new area of conspiracy theory, so let's apply the Razor of Sir Ockham.

[dead]

360-degree turns? Did Maxine Waters write this?

Planes make 360 degree turns all the time.

In layman’s terms, its known as “flying straight.”

[gridlock]

P*sses me off that the author of this article is acting as if this fairly useless bit of information somehow invalidates the actions of the passengers which it in no way does.

You're right on the money, Arkie.

And it p*sses me off as well.

There have been people who have been working to discredit this story from Day 1. The notion that ordinary people could have a positive effect by defending themselves and their country is just too dangerous to the people who want us to rely on our betters in the Government and UN to protect us from harm.

This triumphalist BS from Reuters, about how a terrorist crashed the plane, rather than a passenger in a struggle, is no information at all. As far as I'm concerned, having the terrorists crash the plane in order to avoid losing control is the functional equivalent of the plane crashing during a struggle for control. The only difference, small though it is, is that the terrorists were a bit more cowardly in this latest version of the story.

The men and women who fought back on Flight 93 were heroes. This story does nothing to contradict that fact, as much as Reuters might wish it to be so.

And in my heart I know that even as the plane went down, the heroes on board knew that they had done well, and that their struggle was ultimately successful, even as it ended in their own deaths. I can't prove it, and nobody can prove otherwise, but I know it to be true.

[Fury]

You're wrong. Type "Flight 93 debris" in Google and you'll find plenty of articles describing debris up to eight miles from the crash site and a one ton piece of engine 2000 yards away.

Has the NTSB released the report of the crash yet? Those reports often show debris fields, minus the human remains found.

[DBrow]

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/DailyNews/9/11_fighterjets020830.html

The only military planes even close to Flt 93 were unarmed, according to this ABC article- the commanders apparently discussed the possibility of ramming the hijacked plane in a suicide mission, saving many lives by averting a crash into a building.

Something else to consider- none of the cell phone calls mentioned a fighter jet outside waggling its wings and buzzing the plane to attract attention, as is normal protocol. If I were on a passenger jet, on the phone, and saw an F-16 doing acrobatics you bet I'd shout LOOKITTHAT!

[gridlock]

The planes that the the World Trade Center could have cause more mayhem if they had hit lower, but we can't know the pilot's intention.

This has got to be the stupidest thing I have seen all year. Against some pretty stiff competition, BTW. How in the world do you cause more mayhem than the complete destruction of two 110 story skyscrapers by hitting them lower? They don't topple like trees, you know...

If the towers had been hit lower, I guess they might have collapsed somewhat faster. But they still would have fallen straight down.

[DBrow]

http://www.msnbc.com/news/632626.asp?cp1=1

This article states that the last transmission from Flt 93 was a hijacker screaming "GET OUT OF HERE! Get Out of Here!"

Suggests that someone unwanted was entering the cabin, most likely angry passengers.

[DBrow]

I agree, enough mayhem would have been caused even if they had hit higher, or off-center.

My 333 post link states that the flight control centers were being hit with bomb threats every few minutes- that was news to me.

Remember the first WTC attack by al Queda? If the bomb had been closer to the pillar the tower would have come down.

[Fishrrman]

I suspected this from the beginning, considering the severe angle at which Flight 93 hit the ground -- as if it were deliberately "aimed" in that direction.

I also believe that this was part of the "strategy" of the hijackers, on _all four_ of the commandeered planes. They had trained, to wit:
1. To reach their primary objective (World Trade Center, White House, Capital, etc.)
2. If unable to reach the primary objective, to aim for a "secondary target of opportunity" (it has been pointed out that the plane that hit the Pentagon _may_ have been on course for the White House, but that the hijacker pilot was unable to "home in" on the White House because it is hard to see from the air, and that the Pentagon was quickly chosen as "an alternative target")
3. If unable to reach _any_ target, to simply crash the plane, destroying it.

Option #3 is consistent with what happened in Pennsylvania. The passengers revolted, and it was clear to the hijackers (or at least the hijacker pilot) that options 1 and 2 were unattainable. Since the hijacking was thwarted (or about to be), the _only_ option left to them (him) per their training was to crash the plane immediately. Thus the nosedive into the field.

IN NO WAY DOES THIS SEQUENCE OF EVENTS DETRACT OR DENY THE HEROISM OF THE PASSENGERS. Quite to the contrary, those who fought back ACHIEVED _their_ "objective": to stop the hijacking, the destruction of a national landmark, and the subsequent murder of many people, quite possibly including the President. It was the hijackers on Flight 97 that "failed" in converting the airplane into a weapon -- and took the only way out available.

This article serves to _validate_ the brave actions of the passengers on board, even if the journalist (?) who wrote it would try to convince us of otherwise.

Cheers!
- John

[DBrow]

A common theme in many of the articles I have surfed up in the last couple of days is that Bush lied about Flt 93- and just coincidentally Gore's moveon.org speech centered on Bush lying in huge coordinated disinformation campaigns to systematically decieve the American people.

Hmmm, such a coincidence.

Certainly huge coordinated media campaigns are possible, we are seeing one in action.

[Redleg Duke]

Whether the hijacker flew it into the ground or it went into the ground during a struggle, the facts remain the same, the heroic passengers took matters into their own hands and at the cost of their lives, saved untold many others and left an inspiring legacy for our country and free people everywhere.

This is just another pathetic attempt by the media whores to denigrate our country and her patriots.

[Capt.YankeeMike]

no, the cabin is where the passengers sit, the cockpit is where the pilots sit

They are still heroes, all....
the Capt.

[Redleg Duke]

TED BRIDIS, Associated Press Writer

And Anti-American Media Whore Extraordinaire!

[Redleg Duke]

You really, really hate the thought of heroic Americans, don't you? You are much more comfortable with the sinister American Government.

Enjoy your walk through life on the cloudy side of the street.