Made-for-TV Movie Review: Flight 93
United Airlines Flight 93, was bound for San Francisco, and was scheduled to depart Newark International at 8:01 a.m. But airport construction and heavy runway traffic forced a wait of 41 minutes. Instead of departing at 8:01 a.m., the plane did not lift off until 8:42 a.m.
By the time Flight 93 was airborne; the other hijacked planes in the tightly planned attacks had already taken off and were closing in on their targets.
American Airlines Flight 11 departed Boston at 7:59 and hit the north tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46. United 175 also lifted off from Boston, at 8:14, and flew into the south tower at 9:02. After taking off from Dulles at 8:20, headed for Los Angeles, American Flight 77 veered off course at 8:55. Fifteen minutes later, the plane turned back. It crashed into the west side of the Pentagon at 9:38.
Because of Flight 93’s delay it was on an entirely different course. Once the four terrorists took over their plane, passengers and crew were able to phone friends, family to report the hijacking and say there goodbyes. During those calls, passengers learned about the horrific events in New York and in Washington. The news had already saturated the airwaves. It was clear that the attacks were coordinated and their plane was part of the plan. The realization motivated passengers and crew to band together and fight to take the plane back from the terrorists, or at least save as many lives as they could.
The courageous men and women aboard Flight 93 hatched a desperate plan to attack the terrorists and try to prevent them from hitting their selected target, probably the White House or the US Capitol. At 10:06 Flight 93 crashed in a field near a wooded area in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, in Somerset County, the people on board had achieved their goal, horribly all on board were killed.
The Flight 93 movie was a touching enactment of how they think everything happened on board that dreaded day based on tapes of those indelible farewell calls. The extreme bravery and determination of the ordinary people who chose to give their lives in order to save the lives of countless others is very heart-wrenching.
This movie touched me deeply. I can only imagine the pain and suffering their families were going through when they received these calls. But they, I hope are somewhat comforted in the fact that their loved ones were brave enough to do what ever it took to save as many people as they could by making sure the plane went down before it hit its target.
I’m sure this movie is too heart wrenching for those who experienced this to watch but it shines a little light into what it means to be a true hero.
