Flight 93

Many have wondered what really happened on Flight 93 during the terrorist attack on America on Septmeber 11, 2001. Some people think that Flight 93 was shot down by the government and others believe that Flight 93 was hijacked.

Paul Greengrass, director of the film United 93 strongly believed that the plan was never shot down but was hijacked. He beleieved that the passengers on board did their best to try and take over the plane themselves so that they can safely land it.


A cell phone call to his wife from Thomas E. Burnett Jr., Thoratec Corporation senior vice president and passenger on United Airlines Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001 "A group of us are going to do something."

Questioning the Story:

Did the families of the passengers and crew of Flight 93 support the making of the film?
Yes. According to United 93 director Paul Greengrass, all of the family members wanted the film to be made.

How did director Paul Greengrass try to make the film as factual as possible?
Paul Greengrass hired flight attendants and commercial airline pilots to play the roles in the film He also cast several civilian and military controllers on duty on Sept. 11, 2001 to play as themselves. Greengrass also interviewed 100 family and friends to find out more about how each passenger was like.

How many people were on board United Flight 93?
There were 37 passengers (including the hijackers) and 7 crew members, including Captain Jason Dahl and his first officer, LeRoy W. Homer Jr. The passengers ranged in age from 20 to 69 and included one married couple - (Crash Site Tour). The plane could be seated for 182 but instead there was only a 20% capacity on the plane on Sept. 11, 2001. - (wikipedia.org)

How do we know that exactly four terrorists were on board United Flight 93?
Phone calls from the passengers and DNA evidence showed that there were exactly four terrorists were on board Flight 93.They were Ziad Jarrah, Ahmed Al Haznawi, Saeed Al Ghamdi, and Ahmed Al Nami - (American Morning with Paula Zahn).

Did the four terrorists really have a bomb on board?
According to the 9/11 Commision report, it was determined that the terrorists did not have a real bomb on board the plane. Also during cell phone calls, some of the passengers also believed that the terrorists did not have a real bomb.

How did the filmmakers know that the hijackers had killed several people on the plane before it crashed?
Passenger, Marion Britton called her friend and told him that two people had been killed and that the plane had been turned around. At least one of passengers had been stabbed. Authorities believe that this was Mark Rothenberg, the only first-class passenger. Flight attendant, Debra Welsh, may have been the other early victim of the hijackers. - (wikipedia.org)

Was Captain Dahl really stabbed to death in the cockpit as the film depicts?
Likely not. In the film United 93, Captain Jason Dahl was stabbed to death in the cockpit, and then his body is dragged into the first-class cabin by the terrorists. Sandy Dahl, Jason Dahl's wife, was unable to tell the film's director, Paul Greengrass, what really happened regarding her husband.
During the Moussaoui trial, the jury heard moans and terrorist shouts for someone (believed to be the captain) to stay on the cockpit floor. It is believed that these ongoing moans are coming from a still alive Captain Dahl.- (azcentral.com).

Is it true that there was a passenger on board who may have been able to land the airplane?
Yes. Donalld F. Greene of Greenwich Connecticut was the Executive Vice President of The Safe Flight Instrument Corporation, and he was also a licensed pilot of small aircraft.

Do we know if the passengers ever made it into the cockpit, as depicted in the film?
It is unknown if the passengers of United Flight 93 ever actually made it into the cockpit of the airplane. Black box recordings revealed that it is possible the passengers broke into the cockpit after the hijacker began aiming the plane down for a crash. On the recording, one of the hijackers can be heard saying "pull it down, pull it down." A desperate physical struggle would have then ensued.

How fast was the plane traveling when it crashed?
When Flight 93 struck the ground on September 11 near Shanksville, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, it was traveling at more than 500mph. It crashed upside-down at a forty-five degree angle - (Crash Site Tour).

Is it possible that the government shot the plane down?
There is no evidence to show that Flight 93 was shot down. When asked this question during an Entertainment Weekly interview, director Paul Greengrass responded by saying the following:

"The simple truth is that it wasn't shot down, and it's very unlikely that it could have been. I actually find the disturbing truth to be the absolute worst — that that plane, given the state of confusion [on the ground], probably would have reached its target. The thing about the theories is that they tend to be quite comfortable in a funny sort of way because they reduce the world to a series of simple propositions of bad guys changing world history. Wouldn't it just be easier if conspiracies were true? But they're not. The world is actually frighteningly complex."

Were any items that belonged to the people on board ever found?
Yes. Personal items, miscellaneous debris and human remains were found as far away as six miles from the crash site. Nearby residents and businesses outside Shanksville, Somerset County, reported finding books, clothing, papers and what appeared to be human remains.