On September 11, 2001, four al Qaeda terrorists hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 shortly after it departed Newark International Airport in New Jersey for San Francisco. The hijackers stormed the cockpit, overpowered the captain and first officer, and turned the Boeing 757 toward Washington, D.C.
As news of the attacks in New York spread among passengers, those aboard Flight 93 realized their plane was likely part of the terrorist operation. Shortly before 10 a.m., a group of passengers and crew members launched a counterattack and attempted to retake the cockpit as ground controllers listened in.
