United Flight 93 was scheduled to depart at 8:00 am , but the Boeing 757 did not depart until 42 minutes later due to runway traffic delays . Four minutes later , American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center 's North Tower . Fifteen minutes later , at 9:03 am , as United Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower , United 93 was climbing to cruising altitude , heading west over New Jersey and into Pennsylvania . At 9:25 am , Flight 93 was above eastern Ohio , and pilots Jason Dahl and LeRoy Homer received an alert , " beware of cockpit intrusion , " on the cockpit computer device ACARS ( Aircraft Communications and Reporting System ) . Three minutes later , Cleveland controllers could hear screams over the cockpit 's open microphone . Moments later , the hijackers , led by the Lebanese Ziad Samir Jarrah , took over the plane 's controls and told passengers , " Keep remaining sitting . We have a bomb on board " . Bingham and the other passengers were herded into the back of the plane . Within six minutes , the plane changed course and was heading for Washington , D.C. Several of the passengers made phone calls to loved ones , who informed them about the two planes that had crashed into the World Trade Center
United Flight 175
United Airlines Flight 175
Mark Bingham