Posted on 10/05/2001 7:04:17 AM PDT by truther
WASHINGTON -- Cockpit voice recordings from United Airlines Flight 93 indicate that the hijacked jet's passengers attacked their captors and fought their way into the cockpit before the jet went down, according to data obtained Wednesday.
The account is based on an ongoing analysis of the cockpit voice recorder. It illustrates the passengers' heroic efforts to fight off the four terrorists who had commandeered the jet Sept. 11 on an apparent suicide mission to Washington.
The digital recording, according to officials with knowledge of its contents, picks up sounds of people shouting and screaming in the cabin and cockpit shortly before the crash. A high level of background noise has made it difficult for investigators to interpret exactly what was being said or done.
Also unclear is who was at the controls of the jet -- the hijackers or the passengers -- when it slammed into a field in Pennsylvania, killing all 44 aboard. A preliminary review of the flight data recorder indicated the jet turned on its back and flew straight into the ground, sources said.
An FBI official testified Wednesday that the tape proved what many suspected.
"I can confirm that the passengers engaged in a fight for their lives with their four hijackers and most likely saved the lives of unknown individuals on the ground," J.T. Caruso, deputy assistant FBI director for counterterrorism, said in testimony before a House intelligence subcommittee.
Three other teams of hijackers led attacks that day on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Several passengers aboard Flight 93 learned of the other hijackings via cellphone calls and knew that they had ended in suicide crashes.
Authorities have asked outside experts to analyze the recorder a second time for further details. The use of filters and other computer analysis of cockpit voice recorders is common after an accident.
The recorder is a modern digital model and produced a high-quality record of the last 30 minutes of the flight.
Voice recorders store sounds from microphones that pilots wear on their headsets and from a microphone embedded in the cockpit wall. Normally, it is easy to determine who is speaking on a recording because the voice can be linked to a specific headset. But sounds on the Flight 93 recording came primarily from the cockpit wall microphone, making it more difficult to decipher.
Investigators also are examining a tape of short radio broadcasts from the jet, apparently at the time hijackers took control of the cockpit. Sources who have heard the tape say it recorded a violent struggle.
Flight 93 was headed from Newark, N.J., to San Francisco when it was hijacked. Because the jet crashed more than 30 minutes after the hijacking, the recording did not capture the takeover of the cockpit.
Agree totally
The women have their roll as well, without getting into the fray. Just like the flight attendant on UA93, they will have to keep the coffee pots hot!
I would be happy to fly with you and the other Vets any day. My dad served just after the Korean war, and he's wishing he could re-up. I remember before his eyesight began to fade, he could shoot the eye out of a squirrel at 1000 yards.
Re the women, I think that we will find out that this female flight attendant was right there with the guys, with hot water, hard coffee pot and fingernails!
Re the gal at my church, I would rather have her on my side than her hubby! As a former cheerleader, she is a tough babe. Two of my female neighbors are in get shape, and one can still handle her two brothers. These two gals would hurt most single guys if they went against him.
On tuesday night a 14 year old daughter of friends was attacked by a psycho as she was doing her evening run. She is a little bruised. When they find him, he is hurt a lot more than she is/was. She is first string basketball and volleyball at her junior high and would play football if they let her! Since she was a little girl, her mother told her to never be submissive in a situation like this. That probably saved her life! He tried to drag her off of the street, and she broke loose and beat the hell out of him while screaming. He fled as neighbors came running!
Outstanding suggestion. Here's where FReepers can make a difference. The place where this aircraft went down is hallowed ground. Let's let our representatives know.
She is smart and tough. Apparently this clymer left that scene and tried to pull a 17 year old girl getting out of her car in a shopping center about 3 miles away a couple of hours later. She kicked and beat the hell out of him and then got into her car and drove away.
Thank God these parents raised their daughters like you did! They had a terrible and scary experience, but they are alive and will gain confidence from this experience. Our sons took Karate and were very good at it. I told them if ever attacked, to maim or kill and then get the hell out of there! This is the only way to handle terrorist/bullies! This is the only language they understand!
I've never had a real hero figure my entire life -- I now do...all the brave men and women that decided to take action on that plane. G-d rest their souls...
AND I hope that I would be one of those on your flight if I should be needed...
I salute them all...and know they're in a far better place than their killers are.
I salute them all...and know they're in a far better place than their killers are.
My weapon of choice is a spoon. Sure it may take a bit longer than a knife to penetrate your attacker, but their screams would be well worth the wait.
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