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."
And there's no need to shout.
LOL ;^)
"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!"
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.
"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!!! :)
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.
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