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Recording Details Takeover of Downed Flight 93
New York Times ^ | 11.16.01 | CHRISTOPHER MARQUIS

Posted on 11/16/2001, 9:24:14 PM by callisto

ASHINGTON, Nov. 15 — Thirty- five minutes before United Airlines Flight 93 plunged into a Pennsylvania field on Sept. 11, screams filled the plane's cockpit and the pilots shouted, "Get out of here! Get out of here!"

Three minutes later, the accented voice of a hijacker was heard.

"Ladies and gentlemen here," the hijacker said. "It's the captain. Please sit down. Keep remaining sitting. We have a bomb aboard."

A tape of the final contacts between Flight 93 and air traffic controllers in Cleveland, which was obtained by ABC News and broadcast tonight for the first time, documented what apparently was the killing of the plane's two pilots, the frustration of aviation authorities on the ground and the hijackers' warnings to passengers. Air traffic control contacts with the other hijacked flights became public earlier.

The recording provided a chilling glimpse into the Newark-to-San Francisco flight, which became known for the heroism of several passengers who apparently struggled with the hijackers after the plane turned toward Washington.

The transmissions began at 9:30 a.m., when one of the pilots, flying over Cleveland, asked controllers about reports that air traffic was being diverted from New York.

"Did you say that they weren't accepting any traffic into the New York area?" the pilot asked.

The controller replied: "They're not. They're having a problem with the World Trade Center."

Then, within minutes, screams filled the cockpit, followed by the sounds of a struggle.

The controller seemed unclear on what he had heard. "Somebody call Cleveland?" he asked.

A pilot's cry followed: "Get out of here! Get out of here!"

The controller repeatedly tried to get the pilot to respond. He asked another United pilot flying in the vicinity if he had heard screaming. "Yes, I did," the pilot of Flight 1523 said. "And we couldn't tell what it was either."

At 9:32 a.m., one of the hijackers told the passengers to stay put and said a bomb was aboard.

The hijackers then turned the plane eastward, forcing controllers to direct other planes out of the area to avoid a collision.

At 9:38 a.m., a hijacker whom ABC identified as Ziad Jarrah addressed the passengers with a peculiar casualness.

"Hi, this is the captain," Mr. Jarrah said. "We'd like you all to remain seated. There is a bomb aboard. And we are going to turn back to the airport. And they have our demands, so please remain quiet."

Over southwestern Pennsylvania, the plane's altitude dropped to 7,500 feet, and passengers apparently struggled with the hijackers as one passenger, Todd Beamer, announced into a cellphone, "Let's roll."

Controllers asked a Delta crew if they could see a crash.

"Negative, we're searching," the pilot responded. Moments later, he said: "Yeah, we do have a smoke puff now, about probably 2 o'clock. It appears to be just a dark cloud like a puff of black smoke."


TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: flight93
FR is really sluggish right now, so I hope this isn't a double-post. I searched but I don't know how reliable it was. A thousand pardons if it was already posted.
1 posted on 11/16/2001, 9:24:14 PM by callisto
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To: callisto
Listen to the ABC Video-Link to Real Player
2 posted on 11/16/2001, 9:24:14 PM by vrwc54
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To: callisto
thanks for this. it is timely because there is concern that the plane may have been shot down. this probably was posted but it's nice to see again.
3 posted on 11/16/2001, 9:24:15 PM by alrea
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To: callisto
THIS IS ABOUT ONE OF THE 9/11 FLIGHTS, NOT THE QUEENS CRASH. MISLEADING HEADLINE.
4 posted on 11/16/2001, 9:24:15 PM by hawaiian
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To: vrwc54; callisto
Thanks for the story and the link. I missed this last night.
5 posted on 11/16/2001, 9:24:15 PM by Howlin
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To: hawaiian
What was misleading about the headline?
6 posted on 11/16/2001, 9:24:17 PM by Dog Gone
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To: hawaiian
Flight 587 has, so far to my knowledge, not been described as a "downed flight". The only downed flight has been the Pennsylvania crash. :)
7 posted on 11/16/2001, 9:24:18 PM by callisto
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To: callisto
WLS played the tape earlier this morning. Horrifying. Renewed prayer for the families!
8 posted on 11/16/2001, 9:24:19 PM by mombonn
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To: alrea
It wasn't shot down. Give up the Capricorn One mindset.
9 posted on 11/16/2001, 9:24:20 PM by Diddle E. Squat
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To: callisto
Prayers again to all the victims' families of the 9/11 attacks; prayers to President Bush, that he continue to be strong, that whatever he does and touches is of God and blessed by God; prayers to our soldiers and their families; and prayers for our Nation, as it continues to heal and that it stays united.
10 posted on 11/16/2001, 9:24:20 PM by nicmarlo
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To: Dog Gone
What was misleading about the headline?

Nothing is misleading about the headline, most people know which flight 93 was by now.

I for one will never forget who was on that plane and what they did!
11 posted on 11/16/2001, 9:24:27 PM by stlnative
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To: hawaiian
The headline is not at all misleading.

And there's no need to shout.

12 posted on 11/16/2001, 9:24:41 PM by Leaning towards Libertarian
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To: hawaiian
Seems like you were the only one confused by the headline!

LOL ;^)

13 posted on 11/16/2001, 9:24:43 PM by sonofagun
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To: sonofagun; Leaning towards Libertarian; Dog Gone; brigette
Yes, it is misleading. To have a headline in BREAKING NEWS about something every single person on this planet knows about, from a flight from the 9/11 attacks more than TWO MONTHS AGO? The moderator knew what he was doing when he removed it from Breaking News.
14 posted on 11/16/2001, 9:26:58 PM by hawaiian
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To: hawaiian
Breaking News is the most overused category at this forum. Sometimes I think the thought process must go like this:

"Hmmm, I think this is an interesting article and I doubt it's been posted before. I want people to read it so it must be Breaking News!"

15 posted on 11/16/2001, 9:26:59 PM by Dog Gone
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To: callisto
Thank you for the post. I am on FR a great deal but had failed to see anything like this. Sorry if others will miss it. To me it is Breaking News by comparison to most of what is there currently.
16 posted on 11/16/2001, 9:27:06 PM by Spirited
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To: Dog Gone
I considered it Breaking News since it's the first time the contents of the tape have been released. With such an important subject as the events of 9/11 have been on this forum, does that qualify as Breaking News to you? It's possible that others might consider it to be. Are you the ruling authority on this? :)
17 posted on 11/17/2001, 2:10:10 AM by callisto
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To: callisto
No, I just play an authority on TV. ;-)

Heck, I don't know if it's breaking news. It's a judgment call. I wouldn't have posted it there, because I don't think that all new news is breaking news.

I think of Breaking News as an unexpected major news event.

18 posted on 11/17/2001, 2:58:55 AM by Dog Gone
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To: Dog Gone
I understand your reasoning about the Breaking News column. I'm fairly new posting here, but I lurked for a really long time and I can agree that there are some innapropriate Breaking News threads that find their way into the sidebar. I sort of weighed the interest generated on previous threads about the plane crash and the fact of its new release to the public.

"Hmmm, I think this is an interesting article and I doubt it's been posted before. I want people to read it so it must be Breaking News!"
What a great description! I notice that you've been around here long enough to give an accurate summation of the thought processes for posting Breaking News. LOL!!! :)
19 posted on 11/17/2001, 12:00:26 PM by callisto
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To: Diddle E. Squat
It wasn't shot down. Give up the Capricorn One mindset.

there are articles that discuss reasons this could have been shot down. that's all. it is unlikely that it was, but there will be people that will always say it was based on some of the stories out there.

capricorn one is diddlisquat.

20 posted on 11/18/2001, 5:03:23 PM by alrea
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