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April 15, 2018

9/11: The Heroes of the Doomed Flight 93

It was a bright, beautiful morning in New York on September 11, 2001. Beautiful weather makes for a perfect day for air travel, which many people had in mind on that day. Many people, like Todd Beamer, Mark Bingham, and Jeremy Glick, chose air travel due to either business meetings, vacations, or just returning home to visit family. However, four out of the thirty-seven passengers on their flight had a different intention on booking a flight on that September 11. When Todd Beamer boarded the plane, he sat in an assigned first-class seat in Row 10.1 While Jeremy Glick approached Row 11, he called his wife, Lyz, to say goodbye and to let her know that he would call her when he landed.2 Mark Bingham began to settle in his first class row in seat 4D, just a couple of rows in front of Todd and Jeremy. Sitting in the first row of the plane was Ziad Samir Jarrah and behind him were three other Muslim passengers.3 The flight was scheduled to depart at 8.00 a.m, but there was a delay, and the plane eventually took off at 8:43, just three minutes before an alleged plane flew into the north tower of the World Trade Center. Planes from the eastern part of the United States had been hijacked, and it was no coincidence that the plane that the three men were on was going to be in the same turmoil as well. Their flight was United Airlines Flight 93, a flight that will be forever infamous in American history. However, it’s what the passengers on board the doomed flight did that made the hijacking of the plane unique from the other three hijackings that took place on that day.4 

Image of Todd Beamer, hero of Flight 93 | Courtesy of Pinterest

A few days before that Tuesday morning, Todd Beamer was planning to schedule a flight to San Francisco for a business meeting. While scheduling his flight, Todd was originally going to book a flight for Monday night, the night before the tragic event. However, Todd and his wife, Lisa, just returned home to New Jersey from a week-long business trip in Italy, so he wanted to spend some time with his young sons, David and Andrew, before he departed to San Francisco. Due to this, Todd made the decision to book a flight on United Airlines Flight 93. A few hours earlier on that Tuesday morning, at 5:45, Lisa was awakened by an alarm clock that Todd had set for his flight. When he was ready, he drove off to Newark International Airport for his flight on the condemned Boeing 757.5

Several days before that horrific Tuesday, 32-year-old Mark Bingham decided to book a flight towards the west coast. Just like Todd Beamer, Mark planned to fly to San Francisco a day earlier; however, celebrating his roommate’s birthday and having a hangover the next day, prevented him from that. Due to his mother’s occupation as a flight attendant, Mark had two flights on September 11 that were available to him: one at 7:00 and one at 8:00. Mark set his alarm for 6:00, but he did not wake up until thirty minutes later, causing him to miss the earlier flight and make it barely on time for the later one. If only he had made that 7:00 flight!6

Before September 11, 31-year-old Jeremy Glick was booking a flight to San Francisco for a business trip. However, for Jeremy, there was nothing usual about the flight that he was about to board. Ironically, just like Todd Beamer and Mark Bingham, Jeremy was originally scheduled for a different flight on Monday due to his flight being cancelled. Consequently, Jeremy chose the 8:00 flight on United Airlines Flight 93.7

At 8:42 United Airlines Flight 93 departed from Newark International Airport. The north tower of the World Trade center was already hit by American Flight 11 at this time, resulting in air traffic control casually alerting pilots in the air: “Beware, cockpit intrusion.” About thirty minutes later, around 9:25, most of the thirty-seven passengers on board the large Boeing 757 were either dozing off or reading for the long flight ahead of them. The exceptions were the four unusually suspicious individuals in the front of the plane that some of the passengers in first class could not help but notice. Around this time, Ziad Samir Jarrah and three other passengers on board began tying red bandannas around their heads, which seemed bizarre to Mark Bingham and some other first-class passengers. The four individuals hastily rushed towards the cockpit of the plane. When they entered the cockpit, the pilots were communicating with Air Traffic Control, when all of a sudden Jarrah and his three other men appeared out of nowhere. Through the microphone, air-traffic control could hear a struggle ensue between the pilots and the perpetrators. The pilots were heard shouting, “Get out of here! Get out of here!” Then, there was a sudden and eerie silence. The Arabic men most likely grabbed the flight attendant in the cockpit, proceeded to hold a box cutter to her throat, while the two other men grabbed the pilots from their seats and sliced their throats, killing them. By this point, it is safe to assume that these four Middle Eastern individuals were not just average passengers aboard a plane, or average hijackers for that matter. They were terrorists with only disastrous intentions in their minds, and there was no going back. After they ambushed the pilots, the hijackers had complete control of the plane. They then took the controls and began to turn the Boeing 757 around towards their intended target, the Washington D.C. Capitol Building. Meanwhile, one of the men, probably Jarrah, spoke into the intercom and told the passengers, “Hi, this is the captain. We’d like you all to remain seated. There is a bomb on board. We are going to turn back to the airport.” They said this while the voice recorder was recording them, quickly realizing that air-traffic control could hear them speaking to the passengers. Recognizing this mistake, the terrorists cut off all communication with air traffic control. During this time, anxiety began to loom among the passengers. Travelers such as Mark Bingham, Jeremy Glick, and Todd Beamer felt that something was awry. That’s when the three men and several other passengers began to walk towards the back of the plane and developed a strategy for what to do. This is when Jeremy Glick met with Mark Bingham and Todd Beamer, who both had the same idea. They were planning to ambush the hijackers. Though a risky scheme, the odds were not against them. They were all fit, they were over six feet tall, they weighed over two-hundred pounds, and they were athletic. Jeremy was an expert in judo, Mark played rugby, and Todd had the desire to always win, no matter the situation. Furthermore, there was also an off-duty pilot on board as a passenger; maybe the men could confront the hijackers, and the pilot could try to attempt to land the Boeing 757 safely.8  

Mark Bingham, hero of Flight 93 | Courtesy of Wikipedia

At 9:45, many passengers, including Jeremy Glick and Mark Bingham, began phoning loved ones before ambushing the terrorists. However, instead of calling his wife, or other loved ones that he may have had, Todd Beamer phoned Lisa Jefferson, an operator for GTE Customer Center, who effectively worked as a 911 operator for aircraft. She began to ask Todd a series of questions regarding the situation that he was in. Todd told Lisa Jefferson all of the details, both trying to stay as calm as possible. During their conversation, Todd told Lisa about their planned attack against the terrorists. Lisa tried to reassure Todd as much as possible throughout their conversation; however, she did not inform Todd about what was simultaneously occurring in New York with the other attacks. She wanted him to have as much hope as he could. When Todd was about to leave the air phone to ambush the hijackers, both he and Lisa Jefferson began to pray an “Our Father” together. After they prayed, all of the men were ready to attack the terrorists. Lisa Jefferson heard Todd yell “Are you guys ready? Let’s Roll,” and that is the last she heard from him.9

Around 9:57 the counterattack of Flight 93 took place. Todd, Mark, Jeremy, and other individuals aboard the plane, began to storm the cockpit of the Boeing 757. As the heroes attempted to confront the terrorists, the hijackers tried to hold the door of the cockpit in order to prevent the passengers from entering. After enough strength from the other passengers, the men forced themselves in the cockpit, where loud crashes and screaming could be heard on the cockpit voice recorder. The terrorists were outnumbered by the passengers; however, the hijackers were determined that people would die on that day. The terrorists began demanding each other for control of the plane, as the plane began to make a dive towards the surface. The Boeing 757 was plunging 90 degrees straight towards the ground, until it crashed in a rural field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The plane was almost completely destroyed and there were no survivors aboard the doomed flight.10

Crash site of United Flight 93 | Courtesy of Flickr

The deaths of Todd Beamer, Mark Bingham, Jeremy Glick, and all of the other passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 may have seemed lost for nothing. It may have seemed small compared to the number of casualties on that day in September, 9/11. However, their deaths were not in vain. Todd, Mark, and Jeremy knew that the situation did not look good and that they were probably not going to make it out of that plane alive; however, they were not going to let themselves die in fear, pain, and misery. They went down with a heroic battle against the terrorists. Furthermore, what makes Todd, Mark, and Jeremy, heroes was that they prevented the terrorists from ramming into another national landmark. Instead, thirty-seven lives were sacrificed to save hundreds by ambushing the terrorists on the doomed flight. Todd Beamer, Mark Bingham, and Jeremy Glick were just three out of so many passengers aboard that plane who saved lives, by giving their own.11

  1. Jere Longman, Among The Heroes (New York: HarperCollins, 2002), 18.
  2. Jere Longman, Among The Heroes (New York: HarperCollins, 2002), 19-20.
  3. Karen Breslau, Eleanor Clift, Evan Thomas, “The Real Story of Flight 93,” Newsweek, October 3, 2001, 2-6.
  4. Angie Cannon, Janet Rae-Dupree, Suzie Larsen, and Cynthia Salter, “Final Words from Flight 93,” U.S. News and World Report, October 29, 2001.
  5. Angie Cannon, Janet Rae-Dupree, Suzie Larsen, and Cynthia Salter, “Final Words from Flight 93,” U.S. News and World Report, October 29, 2001.
  6. Jere Longman, Among The Heroes (New York: HarperCollins, 2002), 27-28.
  7. Jere Longman, Among The Heroes (New York: HarperCollins, 2002), 19-20.
  8. Karen Breslau, Eleanor Clift, and Evan Thomas, “The Real Story of Flight 93,” Newsweek, October 3, 2001, 2-6.
  9. Charlotte Faltermayer, “The Team Player,” Time International, December 31, 2001.
  10. Karen Breslau, Eleanor Clift, and Evan Thomas, “The Real Story of Flight 93,” Newsweek, October 3, 2001, 2-6.
  11. Karen Breslau, Eleanor Clift, and Evan Thomas, “The Real Story of Flight 93,” Newsweek, October 3, 2001, 2-6.

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96 comments

  • William Rittenhouse

    9/11 was such a tragic event that should never be forgotten. The bravery of these three men should never be forgotten either. They saved thousands of lives by sacrificing theirs for others. To those men, this country was worth dying for if it meant defending it. I think we all need to try and achieve this mindset. I don’t understand why it’s always during tragedy when people come together and unite. We need to have that same mindset today in the midst of the stuggles we face as a country. We will always have differences with others, but we need to remember how privileged we all are to be in this country. This country is worth dying for, for some people just as those men, and I think we all need to ask ourselves why?

  • not a russian bot

    the picture used is not of flight 93. Every reporter who was at the scene on the day verified that there was no debris what so ever.

  • Daniela Duran

    The bravery and chivalry of these three men is astonishing. At first, I did believe that their death was quite in vain, but after understanding that they were able to save many lives by preventing an attack to another popular cite, I simply got to admire them more. I can’t imagine how much fear they must have felt, but they were all clearly motivated, and were not going to be stopped by this. I loved how Tod and Lisa prayed together before the three men ambushed the hijackers, because it only reassures that all their strength and power they had was coming directly from God. There is no doubt that they are all now in heaven as the heroes they deserve to be. It is impressive that the three men were on that flight, even though that wasn’t their initial plan! I believe this was not a coincidence: it was GOD-INCIDENCE. If it hadn’t been for them, many more lives would have been lost…this was definitely not a simple coincidence!

  • Crystal Baeza

    There are many words that can describe these three men for their heroic acts but can’t believe many lives like themselves were gone too soon. It’s sad the many lives lost risking their own to try and save as many as possible from this event. It saddens me what happened during 9/11 and cannot fantom how loved ones from the lives lost feel. At least the family members or Todd Beamer, Mark Bingham, and Jeremy Glick will know the bravery these men had to try and stop the act of terrorism. Many people such as these three men will be remembered for their sacrifice fighting to protect their country.

  • Cooper Dubrule

    This specific story unfortunately gets overshadowed by the rest of the losses that happened on 9/11 and unrightfully so. Brave souls like Mark, Todd and Jeremy did their best in the face of danger and tried to regain control of the cockpit in the face of death and fought until the very end. Though they weren’t successful in their efforts, their determination represents something greater than the outcome itself, and should be historically respected.

  • John Smith

    It’s hard to imagine that the 9/11 attacks only happened almost two decades ago as we still see their effects to this day. It’s horrible and unfair that anyone should be placed in a situation like that, however, it’s inspiring that Jeremy Glick, Mark Bingham, and Todd Beamer lost their lives attempting to take back flight 93. It is a shame that the flight ended without any survivors.

  • Caden Floyd

    No one will ever forget the horrific events that took place on September 11th. This day not only effected the United States, but so many lives of so many families all across the nation. I had no idea that three men on flight 93 sacrificed their own lives to save so many other people. Mark Bingham, Jeremy Glick, and Todd Beamer are truly American heroes and their story should be more wide spread. Although nothing can prevent a terrorist attack, it’s good to know that there are still people willing to sacrifice themselves to help prevent even more casualties.

  • Jose Sanchez

    9/11 is a day that will always be remembered in America. Our lives were forever changed. Many died in the horrific attacks and many others died in their efforts to help. Countless Americans became heroes that day, and those aboard flight 93 are among them. Their efforts perfectly illustrate the strength of American resolve in times of danger and uncertainty.

  • Tessa Bodukoglu

    this event is one that will be remembered in history forever. this is considered one of the most deadliest terror attacks in history. many lives were lost but many brave people risked their lives for their country and that is something to be acknowledged about. the terrorists think that they succeeded that day but if anything, the American spirit has not been broken.

  • Eloisa Sanchez Urrea

    September 11th is a date that is ingrained in every American. Those that were alive on this day remember the fear and confusion. Those that were younger are taught of the tragedy, pain, and bravery of those that were attacked. It was that bravery that this article did a very good job of getting across. This was a very inspiring article and a way to keep the memory of those passengers alive.

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