Heroes of Flight 93 'agonisingly close' to retaking plane

     By Toby Harnden in Washington

     (Filed: 31/07/2002)

     The heroes of Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania on September 11, probably used a food trolley to charge through the

     cockpit door and confront the four hijackers, according to a new book.

     It says the families of the 33 passengers and seven crew who were killed were told by an

     assistant United States attorney that those who staged the fightback came agonisingly close to

     seizing back control of the plane.

     David Novak, a prosecutor in the case of Zacarias Moussaoui - who is alleged to have been the

     "20th hijacker" of September 11 - suggested that the passengers ran down the aisle using a food

     trolley as a battering ram and shield.

     The most complete account of what happened on the Boeing 757 is contained in Among the

     Heroes by Jere Longman, published in America this week.

     It says that among those on the flight were Don Greene, who had a pilot's licence, and Andrew Garcia, a former air traffic

     controller. Although no passenger mentioned it in any of the numerous telephone calls they made before the crash, it is

     thought there may have been a plan to get the pair to the controls.

     "There is no doubt in my mind that had the passengers been able to gain control of Flight 93, Don, with a little input from the

     control tower, could have safely landed that airplane," Peter Fleiss, a friend of Mr Greene, is quoted as saying.

     Longman quotes interviews with relatives and the cockpit tape to detail how the battle was fought. It seems that passengers

     may have hurled plates and glasses at the hijackers. The author describes a struggle - "rustling and scuffling, grunting, a groan,

     shouts in English and Arabic, the sound of crashing dishes and breaking glass".

     Sandy Bradshaw, a stewardess, telephoned her husband and told him she was boiling water to fling at the hijackers. "We're

     going to throw water on them and try to take the airplane back over," she said. "Phil, everyone's running to first class. I've got

     to go. Bye."

     By making telephone calls, the passengers discovered that three airliners had already been crashed into the World Trade

     Centre and the Pentagon. When Tom Burnett's wife, who was at home in California, told him what was happening in New

     York and Washington, he replied: "Oh my God. It's a suicide mission."

     Mr Burnett, a business executive, told her that "a group of us" were formulating a plan, adding: "We have to do something."

     The hijackers had already murdered one man, thought to be Mark Rothenberg, a businessman, and possibly also Deborah

     Welsh, the flight purser, and the pilots Jason Dahl and LeRoy Homer.

     The plane's autopilot had been set for Washington, and the terrorists' intended target was almost certainly the White House or

     Capitol building. Barricaded in the cockpit, the hijackers realised there was a revolt going on. On the tape, they are heard

     praying: "God is great."

     One suggested holding up a fire axe to the window in the cockpit door to scare off the passengers. Another suggested turning

     off the air supply to the cabin. One spoke about "finishing off" the flight, but was told "not yet" by a fellow terrorist.

     Exactly what happened in the end will never be known.