Christine Hanson

United Airlines Flight 175

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

United Airlines Flight 175 was a domestic route traveling from Logan International Airport in Boston to Los Angeles International Airport, hijacked by five members of al-Qaeda on September 11, 2001. The airplane, 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, resulting in the deaths of all onboard and over 600 fatalities within the upper floors of the tower. This tragedy stands as the second deadliest aviation disaster after American Airlines Flight 11.

Flight 175 took off from Logan Airport at 08:14. Approximately 28 minutes into the journey, hijackers assaulted crew members, forcibly entered the cockpit, and killed both pilots. The lead hijacker, Marwan al-Shehhi, who had pilot training specifically for this mission, assumed control of the aircraft. In contrast to the hijackers of Flight 11, those on Flight 175 did not disable the plane’s transponder, allowing it to remain visible on radar. Air traffic controllers noticed the aircraft’s course change at 08:51 but were unable to reestablish communication. On its path toward New York City, the plane narrowly avoided collisions with other air traffic. During this time, three passengers succeeded in contacting people on the ground, providing details about the hijacking and injuries.

Within 21 minutes after seizing control, al-Shehhi deliberately crashed Flight 175 into floors 77 through 85 of the South Tower at 09:03, synchronizing with Flight 11’s earlier strike on the North Tower at 08:46. Due to ongoing media coverage of the North Tower collapse, Flight 175’s impact was broadcast live globally. The collision and subsequent fires led to the South Tower’s collapse at 09:59, resulting in fatalities among all remaining occupants. While some victims from Flight 175 were identified during recovery operations, many remain unidentified.

Attacks

The hijacking occurred as part of the September 11 attacks masterminded by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who provided both financial backing and logistical assistance. The plan was developed by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Their motivation was rooted in opposition to US support for Israel and American involvement in Middle Eastern affairs. Bin Laden gave approval for the attacks by late 1998 or early 1999. The World Trade Center was selected as a target due to its representation of American economic strength.

Hijackers

United Airlines Flight 175’s hijacking team was headed by Marwan al-Shehhi, a United Arab Emirates national who underwent commercial pilot training in South Florida alongside Mohamed Atta and Ziad Jarrah. The group also included UAE citizen Fayez Banihammad and three Saudis: brothers Hamza and Ahmed al-Ghamdi, plus Mohand al-Shehri.

They received instruction in weapons handling and explosives at an al-Qaeda training camp located in Kabul, followed by cultural orientation and travel preparation in Karachi. In Kuala Lumpur, they conducted surveillance of airport security procedures and boarded flights operated by US carriers to study security checks, crew routines, and timing of cabin services.

In the month leading up to the attacks, al-Shehhi purchased pocket knives in Florida; Banihammad bought a utility knife set from Wal-Mart; and Hamza al-Ghamdi acquired a multi-tool device. The hijackers arrived in Boston from Florida between September 7 and September 9.

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a Boeing 767-200, bearing the registration N612UA, which United Airlines received in 1983. It was configured to accommodate 168 passengers, distributed as 10 in first class, 32 in business class, and 126 in economy. On the day of the incident, the flight carried only 56 passengers alongside 9 crew members, resulting in a load factor of approximately 33%, significantly lower than the average of 49% observed over the previous three months.

Crew

The flight was commanded by Captain Victor Saracini, aged 51, who had a background as a Navy fighter pilot and had served with United for 16 years. The First Officer was Michael Horrocks, aged 38, also a former Marine Corps fighter pilot with two years of experience at the airline. The cabin team comprised Purser Kathryn Laborie (42), with seven years at United; flight attendants Michael Tarrou (38) with ten years’ tenure; Amy King (29) with eight years; Amy Jarret (28) with six years; Robert Fangman (33) with ten months; Alfred Marchand (44) with nine months; and Alicia Titus (28), also with nine months of service.

Passengers

Among the 60 individuals aboard (excluding the five hijackers), fifty were U.S. citizens. The remainder included 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 from Long Beach, California, aged 82. Prominent among the passengers were hockey scout Garnet Bailey and former athlete Mark Bavis.

Boarding

Approximately two hours prior to boarding, hijacker Marwan al-Shehhi confirmed details of the attack during a phone call at 05:01 with Ziad Jarrah, who was involved in hijacking Flight 93. At 06:20, Hamza and Ahmed al-Ghamdi checked out from their hotel and arrived at Terminal C of Logan Airport. Ahmed checked two bags; although their tickets had been purchased weeks earlier on paper, the hijackers expressed intentions to buy tickets at the airport and struggled with security questions, causing agents to repeat inquiries slowly. 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 of these individuals were flagged by the Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS). At 06:52, al-Shehhi contacted Mohamed Atta’s mobile phone to confirm that preparations were complete; Atta was boarding Flight 11 at that time.

Between 07:23 and 07:28, al-Shehhi and his co-conspirators boarded Flight175. Banihammad occupied first class seat 2A; Mohand al-Shehri sat beside him in seat 2B. Al-Shehhi took business class seat 6C; Ahmed al-Ghamdi sat in seat 9D; Hamza al-Ghamdi was assigned seat 9C. The flight was scheduled for an 08:00 departure bound for Los Angeles. A total of fifty-one passengers plus five hijackers boarded through Gate 19. Pushback occurred at 07:58, followed by takeoff at 08:14.

Soon after becoming airborne, crew members overheard an unusual transmission from an unidentified aircraft—later identified as Flight 11’s cockpit—but delayed reporting it until entering New York Center’s airspace to prevent interception. By 08:33, Flight175 had reached its cruising altitude of , which is when cabin service customarily begins. Air traffic controllers requested assistance locating Flight11; after some initial difficulty, Flight175 identified it at , receiving instructions to maintain separation. At 08:42, upon entering New York Center airspace, Flight175’s pilots reported hearing a suspicious transmission stating "Everyone stay in your seats," believed to be someone keying their microphone. This marked the final communication received from Flight175.

Hijacking

The hijacking took place between 08:42 and 08:46. Authorities believe the al-Ghamdi brothers compelled passengers and crew toward the back of the aircraft by wielding knives, issuing bomb threats, and using mace. A flight attendant was stabbed, while pilots were killed by Fayez Banihammad and Mohand al-Shehri, enabling Marwan al-Shehhi to assume control of the cockpit. The first indication of irregular activity emerged moments after the North Tower was hit, when the aircraft's transponder signal altered and it veered off its intended path. Unlike Flight 11, Flight 175’s data remained visible on radar. At 08:51, altitude fluctuations were detected, prompting air traffic controllers to attempt several unsuccessful communications while clearing nearby planes. By 08:55, the New York Air Traffic Control Center officially confirmed the hijacking.

Near misses

During this timeframe, Flight 175 came within roughly 300 feet of colliding with Delta Air Lines Flight 2315. Air traffic controller Bottiglia directed the Delta pilot to execute evasive maneuvers due to suspicion of a hijacking. The aircraft briefly ceased descending at 28,000 feet, ascended approximately 300 feet, then resumed its descent after passing Delta. Shortly thereafter, Flight 175 narrowly avoided TWA Flight 3 by about 500 feet. Just before impact, it also barely missed Midwest Express Flight 7 traveling from Milwaukee to New York.

Calls

Flight attendant Robert Fangman and 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 and that hijackers appeared to have taken control of the aircraft. He mentioned both pilots were deceased and a flight attendant had been stabbed. The call lasted approximately 75 seconds before ending. Subsequently, Marc Policastro attempted communication with the cockpit via the Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) but received no response.

Brian David Sweeney called his wife at 08:59, leaving a message about the ongoing hijacking. At 09:00, he spoke briefly with his mother, Louise, informing her that passengers were contemplating breaching the cockpit. Fearing hijacker interference, he ended the conversation quickly.

At 08:52, Peter Hanson phoned his father, Lee Hanson, in Easton, Connecticut. Traveling with his wife and daughter—the youngest victim of the September 11 attacks—Hanson relayed that hijackers had seized control of the cockpit, a flight attendant had been stabbed, and possibly others killed. He described erratic aircraft movements and urged his father to notify United Airlines; however, Lee contacted law enforcement instead.

During Hanson’s second call at 09:00, he reported deteriorating conditions:

It's getting bad, Dad. A stewardess was stabbed. They seem to have knives and Mace. They said they have a bomb. Passengers are throwing up and getting sick. The plane is making jerky movements. I don't think the pilot is flying the plane. I think we are going down. I think they intend to go to Chicago or someplace and fly into a building. Don't worry, Dad. If it happens, it'll be very fast... Oh, my God... oh, my God, oh, my God.

The call ended suddenly amid a woman’s scream. Both Hanson’s father and Louise Sweeney later witnessed live on television as the plane crashed into 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, descending more than in just 5 minutes and 4 seconds, averaging a drop exceeding per minute. Bottiglia later reported descent speeds reaching 10,000 feet per minute—an extraordinary rate for a commercial airliner.

Two minutes prior to collision, New York Center notified another Air Traffic Facility, which monitored Flight 175 as it passed over New Jersey, Staten Island, and Upper New York Bay, guiding it toward the South Tower. In its final moments, the plane banked left, narrowly avoiding missing or merely grazing the structure. The aircraft struck the southern face of the South Tower nose-first near , impacting floors 77 through 85 with approximately of jet fuel aboard. All occupants were killed instantly.

By the time Flight 175 impacted at 09:03, numerous media outlets were already broadcasting coverage of the earlier North Tower crash, with millions viewing globally. The collision was captured live on television and by multiple cameras; as of October 2024, there are known to be 72 distinct video perspectives of this second impact. Initial beliefs that Flight 11’s crash was accidental delayed evacuation efforts in the South Tower—a misunderstanding only corrected after Flight 175’s collision.

Following Flight 11's impact, the Port Authority ordered a complete evacuation of the North Tower but advised occupants in the South Tower to remain in place during the 17-minute interval between crashes. Nonetheless, an estimated 2,900 individuals evacuated from floors that later became inaccessible before Flight 175 struck.

When Flight 175 hit, more than 600 people were still present on floors 77–110; hundreds inside perished along with all aboard the aircraft. Unlike the North Tower—where Flight 11 severed all escape routes above floor 92—the South Tower was struck near its southeast corner at a steep angle, narrowly sparing Stairwell A located in the northwest corner. This left one stairwell largely intact from top to bottom. Only eighteen people managed to evacuate via this stairwell before collapse. Many trapped individuals contended with smoke and flames that forced them to avoid stairwells or seek rescue from rooftops; some died due to fire or structural failure. Three people fell from upper floors; two jumped to escape hazardous conditions inside, with one fatally landing on firefighter Daniel Suhr.

The impact of Flight 175 also inflicted minor damage on the burning North Tower: windows on its east side blew outward due to the pressure wave from the resulting fireball, exacerbating fires there. Debris from Flight 175 exited through the North Tower’s north side and struck nearby buildings at 45–47 Park Place, causing significant structural damage roughly north of the World Trade Center complex.

Aftermath

The collision of Flight 175 with the South Tower occurred faster and lower than Flight 11’s strike on the North Tower, impacting near a corner and severely weakening structural integrity. This led to increased weight bearing down unevenly on a compromised section engulfed by fire. After burning for 56 minutes, the South Tower collapsed at 9:59 A.M., primarily due to fires fueled by jet fuel rather than solely from impact damage. Although it was hit second, this tower was the first to fall. No survivors emerged from the South Tower’s collapse.

Flight recorders from Flight 175 were never recovered. Wreckage such as landing gear, an engine, and fuselage fragments were found near the World Trade Center site. In 2013, a Boeing 767 wing flap piece was discovered lodged between buildings close to Park Place. During recovery operations, DNA analysis identified fragments of passengers’ remains; however, many victims’ remains were never located.

United Airlines retired flight numbers 175 and 93 following the attacks. In 2011, these numbers were inadvertently reused for codeshare flights operated by Continental Airlines, sparking criticism from media and pilot unions; United promptly withdrew their use once again.

Names of Flight 175 victims are engraved at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The U.S. government extended financial compensation—at least $500,000 per victim’s family—on condition they relinquished rights to sue related parties. The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund has disbursed over $7 billion to victims across all attacks. Lawsuits targeting United Airlines and associated companies numbered ninety-six cases, mostly resolved confidentially with estimated payouts around $500 million. Only one wrongful death lawsuit proceeded to trial before settling in 2011. Additional suits against government officials were dismissed as lacking 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, with passenger and crew lists (Archive)
• Government Releases Detailed Information on 9/11 Crashes
• Picture of aircraft Pre 9/11
• September 11, 2001 archive of United Airlines site with condolences for deceased (Archive)
• Page with additional information, from September 12, 2001 (Archive)