Brian David Sweeney

United Airlines Flight 175

Company type	Domestic passenger flight
Industry	Aviation
Founded	1983 (1983) (aircraft delivery year)
Headquarters	Boston , United States
Products	Passenger air transport

United Airlines Flight 175 was a domestic route operating between Logan International Airport in Boston and Los Angeles International Airport. On September 11, 2001, it was commandeered by a group of five terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda. The aircraft, a Boeing 767-200 carrying 51 passengers and 9 crew members (excluding the hijackers), was intentionally flown into the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. This attack resulted in the deaths of all on board as well as over 600 individuals located in the tower’s upper stories. Among aviation disasters, Flight 175 ranks as the second deadliest, following only American Airlines Flight 11.

The plane took off from Logan Airport at 08:14. Approximately 28 minutes later, the hijackers assaulted the crew, seized control of the cockpit by killing both pilots, and relocated the remaining passengers toward the rear of the aircraft. The primary hijacker, Marwan al-Shehhi, who had received pilot training specifically for this mission, assumed command. In contrast to the team that hijacked Flight 11, this group did not deactivate the aircraft’s transponder, enabling radar systems to track its deviation from its planned route at 08:51 EDT. Efforts by air traffic controllers to establish communication were unsuccessful; during its course toward New York City, the plane narrowly avoided collisions with other aircraft. Meanwhile, three passengers managed to contact family members and colleagues, providing details about the hijackers and casualties among the crew.

Within a span of 21 minutes after seizing control, al-Shehhi deliberately crashed Flight 175 into floors 77 through 85 of the South Tower at 09:03, timed closely after Flight 11 struck the North Tower at 08:46. The incident was broadcast live worldwide due to media coverage. The impact and subsequent fires led to the collapse of the South Tower at 09:59, just 56 minutes later, resulting in fatalities for everyone inside. Recovery operations succeeded in identifying some victims’ remains from Flight 175; however, many have yet to be identified.

Attacks

Flight 175 was hijacked as part of the September 11 attacks masterminded by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who provided both financial backing and logistical support. The operation was orchestrated by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, recognized as the principal planner. Bin Laden and Mohammed, along with their team of hijackers, were driven by opposition to US policies supporting Israel and military involvement in the Middle East. Bin Laden authorized the attacks in late 1998 or early 1999. The World Trade Center was selected as a target due to its status as an emblem of American economic strength.

Hijackers

The team responsible for commandeering Flight 175 was headed by Marwan al-Shehhi, a native of the United Arab Emirates who trained as a commercial pilot in South Florida alongside fellow hijackers Mohamed Atta and Ziad Jarrah. Other participants included Fayez Banihammad (UAE) and three Saudi nationals: brothers Hamza and Ahmed al-Ghamdi, plus Mohand al-Shehri.

Their preparation involved weapons and explosives training at an al-Qaeda camp near Kabul, followed by cultural orientation and travel training sessions in Karachi, Pakistan. In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, they conducted surveillance exercises focused on airport security protocols, boarding multiple US flights to study crew operations and security measures.

Approximately one month prior to the attacks, al-Shehhi purchased two pocket knives in Boynton Beach, Florida; Banihammad acquired a two-piece utility knife set from Wal-Mart; and Hamza al-Ghamdi obtained a Leatherman Wave multi-tool. The hijackers arrived in Boston from Florida between September 7 and September 9.

Aircraft

This flight was conducted using a Boeing 767-200 aircraft, bearing the registration N612UA, which was manufactured and delivered to United Airlines in 1983. The plane had seating for 168 passengers, divided into 10 first-class seats, 32 business-class seats, and 126 economy seats. On the day of the incident, the flight operated with only 56 passengers and 9 crew members aboard, resulting in a load factor of approximately 33 percent—significantly lower than the three-month pre-September 11 average of 49 percent.

Crew

The captain, Victor Saracini (aged 51), was a former Navy fighter pilot with 16 years of experience at United Airlines. The first officer, Michael Horrocks (38), had previously served as a Marine Corps fighter pilot and had been with the airline for two years. The cabin team consisted of purser Kathryn Laborie (42), who had seven years at United, along with flight attendants Michael Tarrou (38) with a decade of service; Amy King (29) with eight years; Amy Jarret (28) with six years; Robert Fangman (33), Alfred Marchand (44), and Alicia Titus (28), each having between nine months and ten months of tenure at the airline.

Passengers

Among the total of 60 individuals onboard, excluding the five hijackers, there were 50 Americans, three Germans, two British nationals, and one passenger each from Iran, Israel, Indonesia, Ireland, and Canada. The youngest victim was Christine Hanson (born February 22, 1999), while the eldest was Dorothy DeAraujo of Long Beach, California, aged 82. Prominent passengers included hockey scout Garnet Bailey and former athlete Mark Bavis.

Boarding

Approximately two hours prior to boarding, at 05:01, al-Shehhi contacted fellow hijacker Ziad Jarrah to confirm their readiness for the operation. At 06:20, Hamza al-Ghamdi and Ahmed al-Ghamdi left their hotel and arrived at Logan International Airport’s Terminal C; Ahmed checked in two pieces of luggage. Although they already possessed tickets purchased weeks in advance, the hijackers expressed intentions to buy tickets and encountered difficulties responding to security questions until providing acceptable answers. Marwan al-Shehhi checked one bag at 06:45; Fayez Banihammad and Mohand al-Shehri completed check-in at 06:53, with Banihammad checking two bags. None triggered alerts from the Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS). At 06:52, al-Shehhi called Mohamed Atta’s cellphone to confirm coordination; Atta was boarding American Airlines Flight 11.

The hijackers boarded Flight175 between 07:23 and 07:28. Banihammad occupied first-class seat 2A; Mohand al-Shehri sat in seat 2B; al-Shehhi and Ahmed al-Ghamdi took business-class seats 6C and 9D respectively; Hamza al-Ghamdi was seated in 9C. The flight was scheduled to depart at 08:00 for Los Angeles with a total of 51 passengers plus the five hijackers boarding via Gate 19. The aircraft pushed back at 07:58 and departed from Runway 9 at 08:14 as Flight 11 was being hijacked.

During ascent, the captain and first officer overheard suspicious transmissions later identified as originating from Flight 11’s cockpit but delayed reporting these until entering New York Center airspace to avoid interception. By 08:33, Flight175 attained its cruising altitude of , which is typically when cabin service begins. Air traffic controllers asked Flight175’s pilots if they could visually locate Flight11; after initial uncertainty, they identified it at , receiving instructions to maintain separation. At 08:42, upon entering New York Center airspace, Flight175’s pilots reported hearing a transmission instructing passengers to remain seated—this marked their last communication before the attack commenced.

Hijacking

The hijacking took place between 08:42 and 08:46. Investigators conclude that the al-Ghamdi brothers coerced passengers and crew toward the rear of the aircraft by menacing them with knives and threats of explosives, while also dispersing mace inside the cabin. A flight attendant was stabbed, and pilots were killed by Fayez Banihammad and Mohand al-Shehri, enabling Marwan al-Shehhi to assume control of the cockpit. The initial indication of irregular activity was a change in the plane’s transponder signal shortly after the North Tower was hit, followed by course deviations. Unlike Flight 11, Flight 175’s data remained visible on radar. At 08:51, it altered its altitude, and during the next three minutes, air traffic controllers attempted five unsuccessful communications attempts while clearing adjacent aircraft. By 08:55, New York Air Traffic Control received notification of the hijacking, with controller Bottiglia remarking, "We might have a hijack over here, two of them."

Near misses

During this interval, Flight 175 came dangerously close to colliding midair with Delta Air Lines Flight 2315 traveling from Hartford to Tampa, missing by roughly 300 feet. Bottiglia directed the Delta pilot to execute evasive maneuvers due to the suspected hijacking. The Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) likely alerted Flight 175’s crew as it momentarily halted its descent at 28,000 feet, ascended approximately 300 feet, then resumed descending after passing Delta. Shortly thereafter, Flight 175 narrowly avoided TWA Flight 3 en route from JFK to St. Louis by nearly 500 feet. Just moments before impact, it also evaded a collision with Midwest Express Flight 7 traveling from Milwaukee to New York.

Calls

Flight attendant Robert Fangman along with passengers Peter Hanson and Brian David Sweeney placed phone calls using GTE airphones located in the rear section of the plane. Records indicate passenger Garnet Bailey attempted four calls to his wife.

At 08:52, Fangman contacted a United Airlines maintenance office in San Francisco to report the hijacking, explaining that the hijackers were likely controlling the aircraft. He stated that both pilots had been killed and a flight attendant stabbed. The call lasted approximately 75 seconds before disconnecting. Subsequently, Marc Policastro attempted to reach the cockpit via the Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS), but received no response.

At 08:59, Brian David Sweeney called his wife leaving a message about the hijacking situation. He then spoke briefly with his mother at 09:00, informing her that passengers were contemplating storming the cockpit but ended the call quickly out of concern for potential interference by hijackers.

Meanwhile at 08:52, Peter Hanson phoned his father in Easton, Connecticut. Traveling with his wife and daughter—the youngest victim of the September 11 attacks—Hanson reported that hijackers had taken control of the cockpit, a flight attendant had been stabbed, and there were probable fatalities in the front section. He described erratic movements of the plane and urged his father to contact United Airlines; when this failed, his father alerted police.

Hanson made a second call at 09:00:

It's getting bad, Dad. A stewardess was stabbed. They have knives and Mace. They said they have a bomb. Passengers are sick. The plane is jerking. I don't think the pilot is flying. I think we are going down. They may fly into a building. Don't worry, Dad. If it happens, it'll be very fastTemplate:Nbs... Oh, my GodTemplate:Nbs... oh, my God, oh, my God.

The call ended suddenly amid a woman’s scream. Both Hanson’s father and Louise Sweeney then witnessed live on television as the aircraft struck the South Tower.

Crash

At 08:58, Flight 175 was positioned over New Jersey at , with al-Shehhi likely observing smoke emanating from the North Tower. The aircraft then entered a continuous power dive exceeding over a span of five minutes, descending at an average speed greater than per minute—an unprecedented rate for a commercial airliner.

Two minutes prior to impact, New York Center notified a nearby Air Traffic Facility, which monitored Flight 175 as it passed over New Jersey, Staten Island, and Upper New York Bay while al-Shehhi maneuvered the plane toward the South Tower. In its final moments, the plane banked sharply left, narrowly missing a complete miss of the building. It struck the South Tower’s southern face nose-first at approximately , penetrating floors 77 through 85 with around of jet fuel aboard. Everyone on board perished instantly.

By 09:03, various media outlets were broadcasting live footage of the initial crash at the North Tower; Flight 175’s collision was captured from multiple perspectives and widely replayed before networks limited further use of such footage. As of October 2024, there are records of 72 distinct video angles documenting the second plane’s impact. Initially, Flight 11's crash was presumed accidental, which delayed evacuation efforts in the South Tower until Flight 175’s strike confirmed a deliberate attack.

Following Flight 11’s impact, the Port Authority ordered an immediate evacuation of the North Tower but instructed occupants in the South Tower to remain in place during the 17-minute interval between strikes. Nevertheless, approximately 2,900 individuals evacuated from floors that would later be sealed off above before Flight 175 hit. Over 600 people remained on floors 77 to 110 when the plane struck; hundreds perished instantly alongside all passengers and crew. Unlike the North Tower, one stairwell in the South Tower remained largely intact because Flight 175 impacted near the southeast corner while banking steeply, narrowly missing Stairwell A. Only eighteen individuals escaped through this stairway before the building collapsed.

Smoke and flames forced many trapped occupants to avoid stairwells or seek rescue via rooftops; some were descending when the tower fell at 09:59. Three people fell to their deaths from upper levels—two jumped to escape hazardous conditions inside; firefighter Daniel Suhr was fatally injured when one individual landed on him.

The impact of Flight 175 also caused minor damage to the already burning North Tower by shattering nearby windows and intensifying fires. Debris from the aircraft penetrated through the North Tower’s north side and struck floors of 45–47 Park Place about north of the World Trade Center complex, inflicting significant structural damage to that building.

Aftermath

The collision of Flight 175 with the South Tower occurred at a faster speed and lower altitude than Flight 11’s strike on the North Tower, impacting near a corner that critically undermined the building’s structural stability. This resulted in an unevenly damaged section bearing immense structural loads. After burning for 56 minutes, the South Tower collapsed at 9:59 A.M., with fires ignited by jet fuel being the primary cause rather than the initial impact. Although it was hit second, it was the first tower to fall. No survivors were found inside upon collapse.

Flight recorders from Flight 175 were never recovered; however, some wreckage was located near the site, including landing gear atop a nearby structure, an engine found at Church and Murray Street, and fuselage fragments on 5 World Trade Center. In 2013, a Boeing 767 wing flap component was discovered lodged between buildings at Park Place.

During recovery operations, DNA analysis identified fragments belonging to several passengers, though many remains were never recovered. United Airlines retired flight numbers 175 and 93 following the attacks; an attempt to reinstate them in 2011 faced public opposition and was subsequently withdrawn.

Names of victims from Flight 175 are engraved at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The federal government provided minimum compensation of $500,000 to families of victims, with acceptance requiring relinquishment of legal claims. The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund has disbursed over $7 billion covering damages related to all affected flights and buildings.

Ninety-six lawsuits were filed against United Airlines and affiliated entities; most were resolved confidentially with estimated settlements totaling approximately $500 million. Only one wrongful death lawsuit proceeded to trial before settling in 2011. Additional lawsuits targeting government officials were filed but deemed without merit.

See also

• Malaysian Airline System Flight 653
• Indian Airlines Flight 814
• TWA Flight 847
• List of aircraft hijackings
• List of tenants in Two World Trade Center

External links

• The Final 9/11 Commission Report (Archive)
• CNN September 11 Memorial page, including passenger and crew manifests (Archive)
• Government-released detailed data on 9/11 crashes
• Pre-9/11 aircraft photograph
• Archived United Airlines site from September 11, 2001, offering condolences to victims (Archive)
• Additional information page from September 12, 2001 (Archive)