United airlines Flight 175

United Airlines Flight 175 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Logan International Airport, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Los Angeles International Airport, in Los Angeles, California. On September 11, 2001, the Boeing 767-200 operating the route was hijacked by five al-Qaeda terrorists and was deliberately crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing all 65 people aboard and an unconfirmed number in the building's impact zone.

United Airlines Flight 175

UA 175's flight path from Boston to New York City on September 11, 2001.

Hijacking

Date

Tuesday, September 11, 2001

Summary

Terrorist suicide hijacking

Site

South Tower of the World Trade Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.

40°42′38.8″N 74°00′47.3″W

Total fatalities

965 (unconfirmed)

Aircraft

Aircraft type

Boeing 767–222

Operator

United Airlines

IATA flight No.

UA175

ICAO flight No.

UAL175

Call sign

UNITED 175

Registration

N612UA

Flight origin

Logan International Airport

Destination

Los Angeles International Airport

Occupants

65 (including 5 hijackers)

Passengers

56 (including 5 hijackers)

Crew

9

Fatalities

65 (including 5 hijackers)

Survivors

0

Ground casualties

Ground fatalities

900 (including emergency workers) at the South Tower of the World Trade Center in crash and subsequent collapse

Approximately thirty minutes into the flight, the hijackers forcibly breached the cockpit and overpowered the pilot and first officer, allowing lead hijacker and trained pilot Marwan al-Shehhi to take over the controls. Unlike Flight 11, whose transponder was turned off, Flight 175's transponder was visible on New York Center's radar, which depicted the aircraft's deviation from its assigned flight path for four minutes before air traffic controllers took notice at 08:51 EDT. Thereafter, they made several unsuccessful attempts to contact the cockpit. Unbeknownst to the hijackers, several passengers and crew aboard made phone calls to family members and relayed information regarding the hijackers and casualties suffered by passengers and crew.

The aircraft crashed into Tower Two (the South Tower) of the World Trade Center at 09:03. The Flight 175 hijacking was coordinated with that of American Airlines Flight 11, which struck the upper floors of Tower One (the North Tower) 17 minutes earlier. The crash of Flight 175 into the South Tower was the only impact televised live around the world as it happened. The crash and subsequent fire caused the South Tower to collapse 56 minutes later at 09:59, resulting in thousands of additional casualties. During the recovery effort at the World Trade Center site, workers uncovered and identified remains from some Flight 175 victims, but many other body fragments could not be identified.

Background Edit

The team of hijackers on United Airlines Flight 175 was led by Marwan al-Shehhi, from the United Arab Emirates. Shehhi obtained a commercial pilot's license while training in south Florida, along with Flight 11 hijacker Mohamed Atta and Flight 93 hijacker Ziad Jarrah. The hijackers on Flight 175 included Fayez Banihammad, also from the UAE, and three Saudis: brothers Hamza al-Ghamdi and Ahmed al-Ghamdi, as well as Mohand al-Shehri. On August 13, 2001, Marwan al-Shehhi purchased two four-inch pocket knives from a Sports Authority store in Boynton Beach, Florida, while Banihammad bought a two-piece snap knife set at a Wal-Mart, and Hamza al-Ghamdi bought a Leatherman Wave multi-tool.[1][2]

In early September 2001, the group of Flight 175 hijackers arrived in Boston from Florida. Hamza al-Ghamdi and Ahmed al-Ghamdi arrived together on September 7 and checked into the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The next day, they relocated to the Days Inn in Boston. On September 8, Fayez Banihammad and Mohand al-Shehri flew from Florida to Boston, where they checked into the Milner Hotel. Marwan al-Shehhi arrived in Boston on September 9 and also stayed at the Milner Hotel, where he shared a roo