Peter B. Hanson

United Airlines Flight 175

Company type	Domestic air service
Industry	Aviation
Founded	1983
Headquarters	Boston , United States
Area served	Domestic United States (Boston to Los Angeles)
Products	Passenger air transport

United Airlines Flight 175 was a domestic air service traveling from Logan International Airport in Boston to Los Angeles International Airport in California that was seized by five al-Qaeda operatives on September 11, 2001. The Boeing 767-200, carrying 51 passengers and 9 crew members (excluding the hijackers), was intentionally flown into the South Tower of New York City's World Trade Center, resulting in the deaths of everyone on board as well as over 600 individuals located in the upper stories of the tower. This crash ranks as the second deadliest aviation disaster after American Airlines Flight 11.

The flight departed Logan Airport at 08:14. Approximately 28 minutes into the journey, the hijackers took command, killing both pilots and forcing the remaining crew members to the back of the aircraft. The lead hijacker, Marwan al-Shehhi, who had received pilot training specifically for this mission, assumed control of the plane. Unlike the team aboard Flight 11, they did not disable the aircraft's transponder, allowing radar systems to track its deviation from the planned route at 08:51 EDT. Air traffic controllers attempted to establish communication without success while Flight 175 narrowly avoided collisions with other planes approaching New York City. During this period, three passengers were able to place calls to relatives and coworkers, relaying information about the hijackers and confirming casualties among the crew.

Within just 21 minutes after seizing control, al-Shehhi crashed Flight 175 into floors 77 through 85 of the South Tower at 09:03, in a coordinated strike following Flight 11’s impact on the North Tower at 08:46. The event was broadcast live worldwide due to extensive media coverage. The resulting destruction and fires caused the South Tower to collapse at 09:59, claiming all lives inside. Recovery operations identified some remains of those aboard Flight 175, although many victims remain unidentified.

Attacks

This flight’s hijacking was part of the broader September 11 attacks masterminded by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who provided both financial backing and logistical support. The plan was conceived and directed by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Their grievances were rooted in U.S. policies supporting Israel and military involvement in Middle Eastern affairs. Bin Laden gave his approval for these attacks sometime between late 1998 and early 1999. The World Trade Center was selected as a target due to its status as an iconic emblem of American economic strength.

Hijackers

The group responsible for hijacking United Airlines 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. The team also included Fayez Banihammad (UAE) and three Saudi nationals: brothers Hamza and Ahmed al-Ghamdi, along with Mohand al-Shehri.

Their training began at an al-Qaeda camp in Kabul, Afghanistan, where they focused on weapons handling and explosives expertise, followed by cultural orientation and travel preparation in Karachi, Pakistan. In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, they conducted surveillance of airport security measures and flight operations by boarding flights operated by U.S. airlines to study procedures firsthand.

In the final month before the attacks, principal hijackers acquired small knives and multi-purpose tools from retail outlets in Florida. They arrived in Boston from Florida between September 7 and September 9.

Aircraft

The aircraft utilized for this flight was a Boeing 767-200, bearing the registration N612UA, which had been constructed and delivered to United Airlines in 1983. It could accommodate 168 passengers, distributed as 10 in first class, 32 in business, and 126 in economy. On September 11, the flight carried just 56 passengers along with 9 crew members, resulting in a load factor of approximately 33 percent—significantly lower than the average of 49 percent recorded over the previous three months.

Crew

The captain was Victor Saracini, aged 51, a former Navy fighter pilot who had served with United Airlines for 16 years. The first officer, Michael Horrocks, age 38 and also a former Marine Corps fighter pilot, had been with the airline for two years. The cabin staff comprised purser Kathryn Laborie, aged 42 with seven years of service, and flight attendants Michael Tarrou (38 years old, 10 years’ experience), Amy King (29 years old with eight years), Amy Jarret (28 years old with six years), Robert Fangman (33 years old with ten months), Alfred Marchand (44 years old with nine months), and Alicia Titus (28 years old with nine months).

Passengers

Among the total of 60 individuals on board (excluding the five hijackers), there were 50 Americans alongside 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) on Flight175. The eldest passenger was Dorothy DeAraujo from Long Beach, California, aged 82. Prominent among those aboard were hockey scout Garnet Bailey and former athlete Mark Bavis.

Boarding

Approximately two hours before boarding commenced, al-Shehhi placed a call to Ziad Jarrah at 05:01 to confirm their preparedness for the planned attacks. Hamza and Ahmed al-Ghamdi checked out from their hotel and arrived at Logan Airport’s Terminal C at 06:20; Ahmed checked in two pieces of luggage. Although their tickets had been purchased weeks earlier, the hijackers expressed interest in buying tickets at the airport and struggled to answer security questions clearly, requiring repeated slow questioning until satisfactory responses were given. 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 contacted Mohamed Atta’s cellphone to verify coordination of the attack.

The hijackers boarded Flight175 between 07:23 and 07:28: Banihammad took first class seat 2A; Mohand al-Shehri sat in 2B; al-Shehhi occupied business class seat 6C; Ahmed al-Ghamdi was in seat 9D; Hamza al-Ghamdi sat in 9C. The flight was scheduled to depart for Los Angeles at 08:00. A total of fifty-one passengers plus five hijackers boarded through Gate 19. The aircraft pushed back at 07:58 and departed from Runway 9 at 08:14 as Flight11 was being hijacked.

During climb-out, the crew overheard suspicious transmissions from an unidentified plane—later identified as Flight11’s cockpit—but delayed reporting these communications until entering New York Center airspace to prevent interception. By 08:33, Flight175 had reached its cruising altitude of , at which point cabin service was set to begin. Air traffic controllers queried Flight175’s pilots about sighting Flight11; initially unable to locate it, they soon identified it at , after which they were instructed to maintain separation. At 08:42, after transitioning into New York Center airspace, Flight175’s crew reported hearing a message stating "Everyone stay in your seats," marking the last communication received from this flight.

Hijacking

The hijacking transpired between 08:42 and 08:46. Authorities surmise that the al-Ghamdi brothers coerced passengers and crew toward the rear of the aircraft by wielding knives, issuing bomb threats, and deploying mace spray. During the assault, a flight attendant was stabbed, and both 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 emerged mere seconds after the North Tower impact, when Flight175’s transponder signal altered and the aircraft deviated from its planned route. In contrast to Flight11, Flight175’s tracking data remained accessible. By 08:51, the plane had changed altitude; air traffic controllers made five unsuccessful attempts to establish communication and cleared surrounding airspace. At 08:55, New York Air Traffic Control was alerted of the hijacking, with controller Bottiglia remarking, "We might have a hijack over here, two of them."

Near misses

During this interval, Flight175 came dangerously close to colliding with Delta Air Lines Flight2315, traveling from Hartford to Tampa, missing it by roughly 300 feet. Due to suspicions of a hijacking, Bottiglia directed the Delta pilot to execute evasive maneuvers. It is probable that the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) alerted Flight175’s cockpit as the aircraft briefly ceased descending at 28,000 feet, ascended approximately 300 feet to avoid the Delta flight, then resumed its descent. Shortly afterward, Flight175 narrowly avoided TWA Flight3 from JFK to St. Louis by about 500 feet. Just before impact, Flight175 also evaded Midwest Express Flight7 en route 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 that 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 indicated that the hijackers were likely piloting the aircraft. He informed them that both pilots had been killed and a flight attendant stabbed. The call lasted approximately 75 seconds before ending. Maintenance personnel then attempted to reach the cockpit via ACARS but received no reply.

At 08:59, Sweeney left a voicemail for his wife describing the hijacking situation. At 09:00, he spoke with his mother, Louise, relaying passengers’ intentions to overpower the cockpit. Concerned about potential return of hijackers, he concluded the call quickly.

Also at 08:52, Hanson phoned his father in Easton, Connecticut. Traveling with his wife and daughter—the youngest victim in the September 11 attacks—Hanson reported that hijackers had taken control of the cockpit, a flight attendant had been stabbed, and fatalities might have occurred near the front of the plane. He described erratic flight behavior and urged his father to contact United Airlines; when unsuccessful, Lee Hanson reached out to law enforcement.

Hanson’s second call at 09:00 painted a worsening picture: hijackers armed with knives and mace claimed possession of a bomb; passengers were ill; the aircraft experienced sudden jolts; and Hanson feared an imminent crash possibly targeting a building. The call abruptly ended amid screams. Both Hanson’s and Sweeney’s families witnessed on television as the plane struck the South Tower shortly thereafter.

Crash

At 08:58, Flight 175 was positioned over New Jersey at , where al-Shehhi likely observed smoke emanating from the North Tower. The aircraft then entered a prolonged steep descent, dropping over in just above five minutes with an average descent rate exceeding per minute, reaching speeds near per minute shortly before impact—an unparalleled velocity for commercial airliners.

Approximately two minutes prior to collision, New York Center notified another Air Traffic Facility that monitored Flight 175 as it passed over New Jersey, Staten Island, and Upper New York Bay, aligning its course toward the South Tower. The plane executed a sharp left bank before striking the South Tower's southern face nose-first at about , breaching floors 77 through 85 while carrying roughly of jet fuel. Everyone aboard perished instantly.

By 09:03, global media had widely disseminated footage of the initial crash; Flight 175’s collision was broadcast live on numerous cameras. Early interpretations that Flight 11’s crash was accidental delayed evacuation orders for the South Tower during the seventeen-minute interval between impacts. This stance shifted following Flight 175’s strike.

Following the impact on Flight 11, the Port Authority mandated immediate evacuation of the North Tower but directed occupants to remain in the South Tower until Flight 175’s impact occurred. Nevertheless, approximately 2,900 individuals evacuated from floors that were later sealed off by the second crash.

Over 600 people remained trapped between floors 77 and 110 when Flight 175 collided with the building. Unlike the North Tower—where stairwells were severed near the core—the South Tower’s stairwell A largely survived due to the plane’s impact near its southeast corner during a steep bank. Only eighteen people managed to escape via this stairwell before the tower collapsed at 09:59. Numerous others avoided stairwells because of smoke and fires or sought rescue on rooftops; some were caught in the collapse or succumbed to fire and smoke inhalation. Three individuals fell to their deaths from upper levels; one firefighter died after being struck by a falling victim.

The collision also inflicted minor damage to the already burning North Tower by shattering nearby windows and exacerbating existing fires. Debris from Flight 175 exited through the North Tower’s north side and struck adjacent buildings at 45–47 Park Place, causing significant structural damage.

Aftermath

Flight 175’s impact on the South Tower occurred at a faster speed and lower altitude than Flight 11’s strike on the North Tower, hitting near a corner and critically weakening structural support. This caused additional weight to bear down on a compromised, asymmetrical section engulfed in flames. After burning for 56 minutes, the South Tower collapsed at 9:59 A.M., with fire fueled by jet fuel being the primary cause rather than the initial impact itself. Although struck second, it was the first tower to fall. No survivors were found inside following its collapse.

The flight recorders from Flight 175 were never recovered; however, debris including landing gear components, an engine, and fuselage fragments were located nearby. In 2013, a wing flap segment was discovered lodged between buildings close to the site. During recovery efforts, DNA analysis identified some passenger remains, although many were never recovered.

United Airlines permanently retired flight numbers 175 and 93 after these events. In 2011, a brief reinstatement during codeshare operations prompted public and union objections, leading United to promptly withdraw these numbers again.

Victims aboard Flight 175 are commemorated at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The federal government provided families of victims with minimum compensation of $500,000 each, contingent upon relinquishing rights to pursue litigation. Over $7 billion has been distributed through the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund covering all attacks’ victims. Lawsuits filed against United Airlines and affiliated entities were mostly resolved confidentially with total settlements near $500 million. Only one wrongful death case proceeded to trial before settling in 2011. Additional lawsuits targeting government officials were dismissed as frivolous.

See also

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

External links

• The Final 9/11 Commission Report (Archived version)
• CNN September 11 Memorial page, including passenger and crew rosters (Archived)
• Official Government Release of Detailed Data on 9/11 Crashes
• Photograph of the aircraft before 9/11
• United Airlines website archive from September 11, 2001, featuring condolences to victims (Archived)
• Additional information page from September 12, 2001 (Archived)