9/11 flight voice recording and transcript: terror in the cockpit

Passengers of Flight No.93 will be remembered long for their valiant fightback

BY JM
April 13, 2006

At 933 km an hour, Flight No. 93 hurtled down from the sky like a rocket and ploughed into the open field. Witnesses said the plane was flying upside down when it shot out of the skies. All passengers, crew and Osama's hijackers were killed on the spot. Now, a US jury is hearing the cockpit voice recordings to see if one of the arrested hijackers should be sentenced for life.

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE TEXT OF THE TAPES

Flight No.33 was the doomed United Airlines plane, which was hijacked and steered towards the Capitol Hill or White House. The plane left the airport half an hour late, subtly upsetting Osama Bin Laden's grand plan. While the other hijacked planes barrelled into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, passengers on Flight 93 fought back, and have been remembered for their valor ever since.

The cockpit recordings start with Ziad Jarrah, supposed to be the hijacker pilot, forcefully taking charge of the cockpit, with other three armed hijackers. The Cleveland flight controllers unsuccessfully try to contact the hijackers on board. There are screams from cockpit crew as they plead for their lives. After overpowering the crew, one of them says "I'm finished." Passengers were herded to the back of the pane, and threatened with knives and the threat of a bomb. Once the hijackers got back to the cockpit, many passengers called up their homes from cellphones and knew that two other planes had plunged into the World Trade Center. The passengers decided to take charge and roll food trolleys into the cockpit and break it open.

When the hijackers knew that the passengers were going to break open the cockpit, they discussed whether they should shut off Oxygen to the cabin to choke them, or use a fire axe to hack them to death. Before that happened, the hijackers decided to crash the plane and swung it violently from side to side before plunging into ground, amid chants of Allah Akbar. The following is the transcript of the text of Flight 93 cockpit conversation. Text in parentheses was translated from Arabic. "Unintelligible" indicates that the tape couldn't be transcribed.

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09:31:57 -- Ladies and gentlemen: Here the captain, please sit down keep remaining seating. We have a bomb on board. So sit.

09:32:09 -- Er, uh ... Calling Cleveland center ... You're unreadable. Say again slowly.

09:32:10 -- Don't move. Shut up.

09:32:13 -- Come on, come.

09:32:16 -- Shut up.

09:32:17 -- Don't move.

09:32:18 -- Stop.

09:32:34 -- Sit, sit, sit down.

09:32:39 -- Sit down.

09:32:41 -- Unintelligible ... (the brother.)

09:32:54 -- Stop.

09:33:09 -- No more. Sit down.

09:33:10 -- (That's it, that's it, that's it), down, down.

09:33:14 -- Shut up.

09:33:20 -- Unintelligible

09:33:20 -- We just, we didn't get it clear ... Is that United 93 calling?

09:33:30 -- (Jassim.)

09:33:34 -- (In the name of Allah, the most merciful, the most compassionate.)

09:33:41 -- Unintelligible.

09:33:43 -- Finish, no more. No more.

09:33:49 -- No. No, no, no, no.

09:33:53 -- No, no, no, no.

09:34:00 -- Go ahead, lie down. Lie down. Down, down, down.

09:34:06 -- (There is someone ... Huh?)

09:34:12 -- Down, down, down. Sit down. Come on, sit down. No, no, no, no, no. No.

09:34:16 -- Down, down, down.

09:34:21 -- Down.

09:34:25 -- No more.

09:34:26 -- No more. Down.

09:34:27 -- Please, please, please ...

09:34:28 -- Down.

09:34:29 -- Please, please, don't hurt me ...

09:34:30 -- Down. No more.

09:34:31 -- Oh God.

09:34:32 -- Down, down, down.

09:34:33 -- Sit down.

09:34:34 -- Shut up.

09:34:42 -- No more.

9:34:46 -- (This?)

09:34:47 -- Yes.

09:34:47 -- Unintelligible.

09:34:57 -- (One moment, one moment.)

09:34:59 -- Unintelligible.

09:35:03 -- No more.

09:35:06 -- Down, down, down, down.

09:35:09 -- No, no, no, no, no, no...

09:35:10 -- Unintelligible.

09:35:15 -- Sit down, sit down, sit down.

09:35:17 -- Down.

09:35:18 -- (What's this?)

09:35:19 -- Sit down. Sit down. You know, sit down.

09:35:24 -- No, no, no.

09:35:30 -- Down, down, down, down.

09:35:32 -- Are you talking to me?

09:35:33 -- No, no, no. Unintelligible.

09:35:35 -- Down in the airport.

09:35:39 -- Down, down.

09:35:40 -- I don't want to die.

09:35:41 -- No, no. Down, down.

09:35:42 -- I don't want to die. I don't want to die.

09:35:44 -- No, no. Down, down, down, down, down, down.

09:35:47 -- No, no, please.

09:35:57 -- No.

09:37:06 -- (That's it. Go back.)

09:37:06 -- (That's it.) Sit down.

09:37:36 _(Everthing is fine. I finished.)

09:38:36 -- (Yes.)

09:39:11 -- Ah. Here's the captain. I would like to tell you all to remain seated. We have a bomb aboard, and we are going back to the airport, and we have our demands. So, please remain quiet.

09:39:21 -- OK. That's 93 calling?

09:39:24 -- (One moment.)

09:39:34 -- United 93. I understand you have a bomb on board. Go ahead.

09:39:42 -- And center exec jet nine fifty-six. That was the transmission.

09:39:47 -- OK. Ah. Who called Cleveland?

09:39:52 -- Executive jet nine fifty-six, did you understand that transmission?

09:39:56 -- Affirmative. He said that there was a bomb on board.

09:39:58 -- That was all you got out of it also?

09:40:01 -- Affirmative.

09:40:03 -- Roger.

09:40:03 -- United 93. Go ahead.

09:40:14 -- United 93. Go ahead.

09:40:17 -- Ahhh.

09:40:52 -- (This green knob?)

09:40:54 -- (Yes, that's the one.)

09:41:05 -- United 93, do you hear the Cleveland center?

09:41:14 -- (One moment. One moment.)

09:41:15 -- Unintelligible.

09:41:56 -- Oh man.

09:44:18 -- (This does not work now.)

09:45:13 -- Turn it off.

09:45:16 -- (... Seven thousand ...)

09:45:19 -- (How about we let them in? We let the guys in now.)

09:45:23 -- (OK.)

09:45:24 -- (Should we let the guys in?)

09:45:25 -- (Inform them, and tell him to talk to the pilot. Bring the pilot back.)

09:45:57 -- (In the name of Allah. In the name of Allah. I bear witness that there is no other God, but Allah.)

09:47:31 -- Unintelligible.

09:47:40 -- (Allah knows.)

09:48:15 -- Unintelligible.

09:48:38 -- Set course.

09:49:37 -- Unintelligible.

09:51:27 -- Unintelligible.

09:51:35 -- Unintelligible.

09:52:02 -- Unintelligible.

09:52:31 -- Unintelligible.

09:53:20 -- (The best thing: The guys will go in, lift up the) ... Unintelligible ... (and they put the axe into it. So, everyone will be scared.)

09:53:27 -- (Yes.)

09:53:28 -- (The axe.)

09:53:28 -- Unintelligible.

09:53:29 -- (No, not the.)

09:53:35 -- (Let him look through the window. Let him look through the window.)

09:53:52 -- Unintelligible.

09:54:09 -- (Open.)

09:54:11 -- Unintelligible.

09:55:06 -- You are ... One ...

09:56:15 -- Unintelligible.

09:57:55 -- (Is there something?)

09:57:57 -- (A fight?)

09:57:59 -- (Yeah?)

09:58:33 -- Unintelligible. (Let's go guys. Allah is greatest. Allah is greatest. Oh guys. Allah is greatest.)

09:58:41 -- Ugh.

09:58:43 -- Ugh.

09:58:44 -- (Oh Allah. Oh Allah. Oh the most gracious.)

09:58:47 -- Ugh. Ugh.

09:58:52 -- Stay back.

09:58:55 -- In the cockpit.

09:58:57 -- In the cockpit.

09:58:57 -- (They want to get in here. Hold, hold from the inside. Hold from the inside. Hold).

09:59:04 -- Hold the door.

09:59:09 -- Stop him.

09:59:11 -- Sit down.

09:59:13 -- Sit down.

09:59:15 -- Sit down.

09:59:16 -- Unintelligible.

09:59:17 -- (What?)

09:59:18 -- (There are some guys. All those guys.)

09:59:20 -- Lets get them.

09:59:25 -- Sit down.

09:59:29 -- (What?)

09:59:30 -- (What.)

09:59:31 -- (What?)

09:59:36 -- Unintelligible.

09:59:37 -- (What?)

09:59:39 -- Unintelligible.

09:59:41 -- Unintelligible.

09:59:42 -- (Trust in Allah, and in him.)

09:59:45 -- Sit down.

09:59:47 -- Unintelligible.

09:59:53 -- Ahh.

09:59:55 -- Unintelligible.

09:59:58 -- Ahh.

10:00:06 -- (There is nothing.)

10:00:07 -- (Is that it? Shall we finish it off?)

10:00:08 -- (No. Not yet.)

10:00:09 -- (When they all come, we finish it off.)

10:00:11 -- (There is nothing.)

10:00:13 -- Unintelligible.

10:00:14 -- Ahh.

10:00:15 -- I'm injured.

10:00:16 -- Unintelligible.

10:00:21 -- Ahh.

10:00:22 -- (Oh Allah. Oh Allah. Oh gracious.)

10:00:25 -- In the cockpit. If we don't, we'll die.

10:00:29 -- (Up, down. Up, down, in the) cockpit.

10:00:33 -- (The) cockpit.

10:00:37 -- (Up, down. Saeed, up, down.)

10:00:42 -- Roll it.

10:00:55 -- Unintelligible.

10:00:59 -- (Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest.)

10:01:01 -- Unintelligible.

10:01:08 -- (Is that it? I mean, shall we pull it down?)

10:01:09 -- (Yes, put it in it, and pull it down.)

10:01:10 -- Unintelligible.

10:01:11 -- (Saeed.)

10:01:12 -- ... engine ...

10:01:13 -- Unintelligible.

10:01:16 -- (Cut off the oxygen.)

10:01:18 -- (Cut off the oxygen. Cut off the oxygen. Cut off the oxygen.)

10:01:34 -- Unintelligible.

10:01:37 -- Unintelligible.

10:01:41 -- (Up, down. Up, down.)

10:01:41 -- (What?)

10:01:42 -- (Up, down.)

10:01:42 -- Ahh.

10:01:53 -- Ahh.

10:01:54 -- Unintelligible.

10:01:55 -- Ahh.

10:01:59 -- Shut them off.

10:02:03 -- Shut them off.

10:02:14 -- Go.

10:02:14 -- Go.

10:02:15 -- Move.

10:02:16 -- Move.

10:02:17 -- Turn it up.

10:02:18 -- (Down, down.)

10:02:23 -- (Pull it down. Pull it down.)

10:02:25 -- Down. Push, push, push, push, push.

10:02:33 -- (Hey. Hey. Give it to me. Give it to me.)

10:02:35 -- (Give it to me. Give it to me. Give it to me.)

10:02:37 -- (Give it to me. Give it to me. Give it to me.)

10:02:40 -- Unintelligible.

10:03:02 -- (Allah is the greatest.)

10:03:03 -- (Allah is the greatest.)

10:03:04 -- (Allah is the greatest.)

10:03:06 -- (Allah is the greatest.)

10:03:06 -- (Allah is the greatest.)

10:03:07 -- No.

10:03:09 -- (Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest.)

10:03:09 -- (Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest.)