Flight 93 conspiracy theories

There are numerous conspiracy theories involving the crash of United Airlines Flight 93. These have been promoted through the internet, books, and movies.

United Airlines Flight 93

United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in an open field in Pennsylvania as a result of an attempted cockpit invasion. However, there have been claims that it was actually shot down by US fighter jets. [ [http://911research.wtc7.net/planes/analysis/flight93/index.html The Crash of Flight 93: Evidence Indicates Flight 93 Was Shot Down] 2006-12-20]

Suspicious debris

This idea is promoted by author David Ray Griffin in his book "The New Pearl Harbor". Two debris fields from Flight 93 were found at three (Indian Lake) and eight (New Baltimore) miles from the crash site, and there are also some eyewitness reports of debris falling from the sky like confetti.Fact|date=May 2008 However, "Popular Mechanics" argued that debris such as an engine exploding away and landing far from the crash scene is not a unique occurrence in commercial airline accidents. [ [http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/defense/1227842.html?page=7 Debunking The 9/11 Myths] Mar. 2005]

Shoot-down order?

An Internet poster who uses the pseudonym "Paul Thompson" claims to have examined a number of mainstream media reports and says that fighter jets were actually much closer to Flight 93 at the time of the crash than stated in the official record. [cite web|url=http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a1006fighterstrailing|title=Context of '(Before 10:06 a.m.)'] He mentions witnesses who noticed a small white jet near the impact site soon after the crash. [cite web|url=http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a1006treetop|title=Context of '(Before and After 10:06 a.m.)'] However, government agencies such as the FBI assert this was a Dassault Falcon business jet asked to descend to an altitude of around 1500 ft to survey the impact. [cite news | last = Carlin| first = John| title = Unanswered questions| publisher = The Independent| date =2002-06-13] Ben Sliney, who was the FAA operation manager on September 11, 2001, says no military aircraft were near Flight 93. [ [http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/interviews/article.html?in_article_id=20603&in_page_id=11 60 Seconds: Ben Sliney] October 4, 2006]

Crash time discrepancy

Jim Hoffman notes a three-minute discrepancy in the cockpit voice recording immediately prior to the flight's crash. [http://911research.wtc7.net/disinfo/deceptions/flight93.html The Crash of Flight 93: Crashing Plane Leaves Debris Field Miles Wide] 2006-05-05] The cockpit voice recorder transcripts end at 10:03 a.m., but Cleveland Air Traffic Control reported that Flight 93 went out of radar contact at 10:06 a.m., and FAA radar records also note a time of 10:06 a.m. Seismologists record an impact at 10:06:05 a.m., +/- a couple of seconds. [cite web|url=http://www.mgs.md.gov/esic/publications/download/911pentagon.pdf |title=Seismic Observations during September 11, 2001, Terrorist Attack (pdf) |author=Kim, Won-Young and Gerald R. Baum |accessmonthday=11 April |accessyear=2006] Despite this, the 9/11 Commission Report concluded that the crash occurred at 10:03 a.m.

Memorial design

Some people think the Flight 93 National Memorial contains symbols of Islam and the terrorists who hijacked the aircraft were Muslim and conducted the attacks in the name of Islam.Fact|date=May 2008

Alleged landing in Cleveland

Some internet videos, such as "Loose Change", speculate that Flight 93 safely landed in Ohio, and a substituted plane was involved in the crash in Pennsylvania. [cite web|url=http://www.physics911.net/faq.htm|title=Physics911 Frequently Asked Questions section] Often cited is a preliminary news report that Flight 93 landed at a Cleveland airport; [cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20021109040132/http:/wcpo.com/specials/2001/americaattacked/news_local/story14.html|title=Archived version of the story] it was later learned that Delta Flight 1989 was the plane confused with Flight 93, and the report was retracted as inaccurate. Several websites within the 9/11 Truth Movement dispute this claim, citing the wreckage at the scene, eyewitness testimony, the difficulty of secretly substituting one plane for another and claim that such "hoax theories... appear calculated to alienate victims' survivors and the larger public from the 9/11 truth movement". [ [http://911review.com/errors/phantom/flight93.html ERROR: 'Flight 93 Didn't Crash in Shanksville, PA'] ] [ [http://911research.wtc7.net/planes/analysis/flight93/index.html The Crash of Flight 93: Evidence Indicates Flight 93 Was Shot Down] 2006-12-20] The editor of the article has since created a rebuttal to the claims. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20060720083200/http://blogs.scripps.com/wcpo/staff/2006/02/wcpocoms_flight_93_story.html WCPO.com's Flight 93 Story] (Archived by the Wayback Machine)]

References

External links