United Airlines Flight 93

Date: September 11, 2001
Location: Shanksville, Pennsylvania
Appears In: Book 2
Jump Type: Linked Historical Jump

What Happened

Flight 93 was the fourth plane hijacked on September 11, believed to be headed toward a target in Washington, D.C. When passengers and crew learned via phone calls of the earlier attacks in New York, several organized a revolt against the hijackers. The plane crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing all 44 people aboard, but preventing the hijackers from reaching their intended target.

Historical Context

Flight 93 is remembered as an act of extraordinary courage under impossible circumstances, and the passengers' actions are widely credited with saving countless lives at whatever target the hijackers intended to strike. A national memorial now stands at the crash site in Shanksville.

Timeline of the Event

Flight 93 is hijacked roughly 45 minutes after departure, delayed from its original schedule.
Passengers learn of the earlier World Trade Center attacks via in-flight phone calls.
A group of passengers, including Todd Beamer, organize a plan to storm the cockpit.
The passengers' revolt begins around 9:57 AM as the plane nears Washington, D.C. airspace.
The plane crashes into a field near Shanksville at 10:03 AM, killing all 44 aboard.

The Five Seconds Connection

In Five Seconds Too Late, this jump immediately follows the World Trade Center jump in the same chapter, the device pulling the team from one collapsing tower straight into the cabin's final moments. It's one of the few jumps in the book where the trio witnesses ordinary people fighting back against the tragedy instead of simply suffering through it, and it changes how all three of them think about what the device is trying to show them.