9/11 dispute

last updated 8 January 2015

Washington, D.C.

Relatives of passengers on United Airlines Flight 93 this week challenged the FBI theory that 9/11 hijackers intentionally crashed the jet into a Pennsylvania field. On the cockpit recording, a passenger is heard yelling, “In the cockpit!” At the sound of breaking glass, hijackers scream, “No!” Family members believe their relatives smashed through the cockpit door and struggled to retake the controls. “You cannot listen to the tape and understand it any other way,” said Deena Burnett, whose husband was on board. FBI officials say their theory—that the hijackers crashed the jet to end the uprising—does not diminish the passengers’ heroism. Analysts believe the terrorists planned to slam the jet into the White House.