The Courage of Todd Beamer & Flight 93

September 11 | Remembering a true hero who walked with God.

There are many accounts of heroism which took place on September 11, 2001. There are many accounts we will never hear told, because no one survived to tell them. One of the most well documented and remarkable stories is the courage of the Americans onboard United Flight 93. Among them was a man named Todd Beamer.

Todd was a husband and father. He had two little boys, and his wife was pregnant with a baby girl. After terrorists hijacked the plane he was on, Todd managed to avoid detection and make a phone call.

This is a transcript of that call. It was pieced together from interviews with the Operator and documentation by the FBI.

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Todd: Hello? Operator. Listen to me. I can’t speak very loud. This is an emergency. I’m a passenger on a United flight to San Francisco. We have a situation here. Our plane has been hijacked. Can you understand me?

Lisa: I understand. Can the hijackers see you talking on the phone?

Todd: No.

Lisa: Can you tell me how many hijackers are on the plane?

Todd: There are three that we know of.

Lisa: Can you see any weapons? What kind of weapons do they have?

Todd: Yes. They don’t have guns. They have knives. They took over the plane with knives.

Lisa: Do you mean, like steak knives?

Todd: No. These are razor knives, like box cutters.

Lisa: Can you tell what country these people are from?

Todd: No. I don’t know. They sound like they’re from the mid-east.

Lisa: Have they said what they want?

Todd: Someone announced from the cockpit that there was a bomb on board. He said he was the captain and to stay in our seats and stay quiet. He said that they were meeting these men’s demands and returning to the airport. It was very broken English, and … I’m telling you, it sounded fake!

Lisa: Ok sir, please give me your name?

Todd: My name is Todd Beamer.

Lisa: Ok, Todd. My name is Lisa. Do you know your flight number? If you can’t remember, it’s on your ticket.

Todd: It’s United Flight 93.

Lisa: Now Todd, can you try to tell me exactly what happened?

Todd: Two of the hijackers were sitting in first class near the cockpit. A third one was sitting near the back of the coach section. The two up front got into the cockpit somehow. There was shouting. The third hijacker said he had a bomb. It looks like a bomb. He’s got it tied to his waist with a red belt of some kind.

Lisa: So is the door to the cockpit open?

Todd: No. The hijackers shut it behind them.

Lisa: Has anyone been injured?

Todd: Yes. They … They killed one passenger sitting in first class. There’s been lots of shouting. We don’t know if the pilots are dead or alive. A flight attendant told me that the pilot and copilot had been forced from the cockpit and may have been wounded.

Lisa: Where is the third hijacker now, Todd?

Todd: He’s near the back of the plane. They forced most of the passengers into first class. There are fourteen of us here in the back. Five are flight attendants. He hasn’t noticed that I slipped into this pantry to get the phone. The guy with the bomb ordered us to sit on the floor in the rear of the plane … Oh, Jesus … Help!

Lisa: Todd! Are you ok? Tell me what’s happening!

Todd: Hello! We’re going down. I think we’re going to crash! Wait … Wait a minute. No, we’re leveling off. We’re ok. I think we may be turning around. That’s it, we changed directions. Do you hear me? We’re flying east again.

Lisa: Ok, Todd. What’s going on with the other passengers?

Todd: Everyone is really scared. A few passengers with cell phones have made calls to relatives. A guy, Jeremy, was talking to his wife just before the hijacking started. She told him that hijackers had crashed two planes into the World Trade Center. Lisa, is that true?

Lisa: Todd, I have to tell you the truth. It’s very bad. The World Trade Center is gone. Both of the towers have been destroyed.

Todd: Oh, God, help us!

Lisa: A third plane was taken over by terrorists. It crashed into the Pentagon in Washington DC. Our country is under attack, and I’m afraid that your plane may be part of their plan.

Todd: Oh, dear God! Dear God! Lisa, will you do something for me?

Lisa: I’ll try….if I can….Yes.

Todd: I want you to call my wife and my kids for me and tell them what’s happened. Promise me you’ll call?

Lisa: I promise. I’ll call.

Todd: Our home number is [redacted]. You have the same name as my wife. Lisa. We’ve been married for 10 years. She’s pregnant with our third child. Tell her that I love her … I’ll always love her … We have two boys … David, he’s three and Andrew, he’s one … Tell them … tell them that their daddy loves them and that he is so proud of them. Our baby is due January 12th. I saw an ultra sound … it was great … we still don’t know if it’s a girl or a boy … Lisa?

Lisa: I’ll tell them. I promise, Todd.

Todd: I’m going back to the group. If I can get back I will …

Lisa: Todd, leave this line open … Are you still there?

Lisa: [dials a phone] Hello, FBI, my name is Lisa Jefferson. I’m a telephone supervisor for GTE. I need to report a terrorist hijacking of a United Airlines Flight 93. Yes I’ll hold.

Goodwin: Hello, this is Agent Goodwin. I understand you have a hijacking situation?

Lisa: Yes sir, I’ve been talking with a passenger, a Todd Beamer, on Flight 93 who managed to get to an air phone unnoticed.

Goodwin: Where did this flight originate and what was its destination?

Lisa: The flight left Newark, New Jersey, at 8 A.M. departing for San Francisco. The hijackers took over the plane shortly after takeoff, and several minutes later the plane changed course. It is now flying east.

Goodwin: Ms. Jefferson. I need to talk to someone aboard that plane. Can you get me through to the plane’s phone?

Lisa: I still have that line open sir, I can patch you through on a conference call. Hold a moment.

Todd: Hello Lisa, Lisa are you there?

Lisa: Yes, I’m here. Todd, I made a call to the FBI. Agent Goodwin is on the line and will be talking to you as well.

Todd: The others all know that this isn’t your normal hijacking. Jeremy called his wife again on his cell phone. She told him more about the World Trade Center and all.

Goodwin: Hello Todd. This is Agent Goodwin with the FBI. We have been monitoring your flight. Your plane is on a course for Washington, DC. These terrorists sent two planes into the World Trade Center and one plane into the Pentagon. Our best guess is that they plan to fly your plane into either the White House or the United States Capital Building.

Todd: I understand. Hold on. I’ll … I’ll be back.

Lisa: Mr. Goodwin, how much time do they have before they get to Washington?

Goodwin: Not long, ma’am. They changed course over Cleveland. They’re approaching Pittsburgh now. Washington may be twenty minutes away.

Todd: The plane seems to be changing directions just a little. It’s getting pretty rough up here. The plane is flying real erratic. We’re not going to make it out of here. Listen to me. I want you to hear this. I have talked with the others. We have decided we would not be pawns in these hijackers suicidal plot.

Lisa: Todd, what are you going to do?

Todd: We’ve hatched a plan. Four of us are going to rush the hijacker with the bomb. After we take him out, we’ll break into the cockpit. A stewardess is getting some boiling water to throw on the hijackers at the controls. We’ll get them. And we’ll take them out. Lisa, will you do one last thing for me?

Lisa: Yes! What is it?

Todd: Would you pray with me?

Lisa & Todd:

Our Father who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive our trespassers,
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil
For Thine is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory.
Forever. Amen.

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want,
He makes me to lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside the still waters,
He restores my soul,
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.

Todd: God, help me. Jesus, help me … [Addressing fellow passengers] … Are you guys ready? … Let’s roll!

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Those are his last known words.

Todd Beamer and other passengers onboard United Flight 93 rushed the hijackers. During the struggle, the plane spiraled out of control, crashing into a field in Stonycreek Township near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Everyone on board was killed. Despite the unspeakable loss, the courage and sacrifice of these brave men and women saved innumerable lives, because the terrorists never reached their intended target.

On this day — 9/11 — we remember a profound evil. We remember a tragedy that carved grief into the hearts of millions. But we also remember the dauntless faith, heroism, and bravery of the many Americans who gave their lives to save others.

May God bless them, their families, and all who love them.

Jenn