# Fourth hijacked flight shot down? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 3, 2003, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fourth-hijacked-flight-shot-down/146431 "2003-01-03T15:57:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fourth-hijacked-flight-shot-down/146431/101 "2003-01-09T01:41:54Z")
I think they’d have been allowed to land with a fighter escort. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fourth-hijacked-flight-shot-down/146431/102 "2003-01-09T02:39:56Z")
Especially if they had been willing to obey orders to turn away from Washington and head towards an airfield away from heavily inhabited areas. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fourth-hijacked-flight-shot-down/146431/103 "2003-01-09T03:06:07Z")
Yeah, the key is whether the aircraft suddenly starts obeying orders from ground control. Somebody on the radio speaking with an American accent probably wouldn’t hurt either. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fourth-hijacked-flight-shot-down/146431/104 "2003-01-09T13:39:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mangeorge \* > \*\*Had the passengers killed the terrorists, taken control of the plane, and returned it to level flight, what are the chances they would have been allowed to land? They would all be on their cell phones saying “Yay”, but could they convince the military, and would the military react quickly enough? Would the brass launch a SAM to bring down the F-16 sent after the passenger jet? Just one pilot. Beans. > Sorry, Mr. Pollyanna here wants a happy ending. I want Spielberg to make the movie. > Peace, > mangeorge \*\* Um, why the hell do you think the F-16 would be shot down? And why with a SAM (and from where?)? Do you seriously believe that the US military is that bloodthirsty? Man, I’d hate to live in your world. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fourth-hijacked-flight-shot-down/146431/105 "2003-01-10T02:44:32Z")
Well, K-w’m, the F-16 would be shot down to save the lives of all those brave passengers on the passenger jet (it’s the target, remember?). I do believe the military should be so compassionate as to sacrifice the life of one pilot to save the lives of so many on the plane and maybe on the ground. LION, you _are_ part of my world. Just not the part that read’s posts in their entirety. According to what I’ve read, the US was just minutes away from downing the passenger jet, and just several minutes away from putting the DC area in peril. It would have taken some pretty quick decision making and communicating to avert downing the plane. Even so, I believe they would have tried. I think the fighter pilot would have been all too ready to call it off. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fourth-hijacked-flight-shot-down/146431/106 "2003-01-10T03:09:24Z")
The fighter pilot would have been in voice contact with higher command, and would have had specific instructions up to the point of firing or otherwise bringing down the airliner. The fighters would contact the airliner on Guard Channel before firing. They are not deaf and blind after they take off. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fourth-hijacked-flight-shot-down/146431/107 "2003-01-10T14:35:06Z")
No, I’ve read a couple of your posts in their entirety, Mangeorge, and you seem pretty convinced that not only would the military be eager to shoot down a planeload of civilians, but they would also forego using a radio to order a fighter pilot not to fire, and opt for launching a SAM at him instead. Not sure where your SAM would be launched from, since it would be rather unusual for a military installation on US soil to have air defenses primed and ready to go like that…even on September 11th. Your main theme in your posts seems to be that the Air Force (and the US military in general) is - or should be - just slathering at the mouth to shoot somebody down, and you don’t seem to think they would care who it is. It wasn’t until your last post that you even admitted believing the fighter pilot wouldn’t want to pull the trigger. The quick communication you mention would be the passengers convincing the authorities that they were in control of the plane, and the message making it to the Air Force. Once that was done, a single radio call to the pursuing fighters is all that would be necessary to call off the attack. This is assuming that nobody on the airliner could figure out how to use the radio to answer the attempts at communication coming _from_ the fighters. I _am_, however, the part of your world that’s tired of this re-hashed conspiracy theory that the OP isn’t even interested in anymore - he or she has only posted three times, and all three of those posts were in this thread several days ago. This is all territory that has been explored to death in the last two years and nothing is being accomplished by dredging all of this bullshit up again and again and again… ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fourth-hijacked-flight-shot-down/146431/108 "2003-01-10T14:43:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kilt-wearin’ man \* > \*\* > I _am_, however, the part of your world that’s tired of this re-hashed conspiracy theory \*\* Did you know that you can unsubscribe to threads? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fourth-hijacked-flight-shot-down/146431/109 "2003-01-11T02:04:36Z")
Ok, ok. I was in the USN (and you?), and don’t know much about recall times for fighters. I don’t even play war games (Ghost Recon, etc). But I do know about truth. I re-read several of the latest of my replies and didn’t find _anything_ expressing the opinion that the military is bloodthirsty, and eager to kill people. So _you_ show _me_, boy. And this has been, imo, one of the most interesting and balanced threads on the subject. Good questions, good answers. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fourth-hijacked-flight-shot-down/146431/110 "2003-01-11T04:33:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mangeorge \* > \*\*So _you_ show _me_, boy. \*\* “Boy?” Mature attitude, pal. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mangeorge \* > \*\*Had the passengers killed the terrorists, taken control of the plane, and returned it to level flight, what are the chances they would have been allowed to land? They would all be on their cell phones saying “Yay”, but could they convince the military, and would the military react quickly enough? Would the brass launch a SAM to bring down the F-16 sent after the passenger jet? Just one pilot. Beans. > \*\* Sounds pretty bloodthirsty - you assume that the fighters would make no attempt to communicate with the airliner, and assume that any attempts by the passengers would be ignored. Then, conveniently forgetting that all military aircraft have radios, you also assume that the only way to call the fighters off is to shoot them down with a SAM, which you still haven’t explained the magical appearance of - the Army doesn’t just have them sitting around waiting to shoot something down. More bloodthirstiness. Now, we can have this discussion (which, frankly, I was tired of several days ago) like adults, or you can keep throwing snide comments and condescension my way. As to your Navy service, hey, that’s great, and I _am_ glad you’ve served in this nation’s military. I lost my chance when I pulled a lot of tendons in both of my legs in college, otherwise I’d have been the “Kilt-wearin’ Major” by now - most of my old friends have at least been selected for major at this point if they aren’t already wearing their shiny brass oak leaves. Not that our personal affiliations with the military have any bearing on this conversation whatsoever. The facts remain: You declared that the passengers on the airliner would have a hard time convincing the Air Force not to shoot them down even if they had regained control of the aircraft and had managed not to hit the planet with it. You speculated that the Air Force wouldn’t be able to call off its pilots and would opt instead to have the fighters shot down by a SAM instead - still not sure what Army base your SAM would come from… You seem to have an odd fixation on beans…(yes, I know what post the reference is from, it’s a _joke_, ah say a _joke_ boy…) Maybe you didn’t _express_ the opinion of our military being bloodthirsty in so many words, but a majority of your posts have strongly implied it from where I’m sitting. Maybe you should think about how things are phrased when you post them before accusing others of not reading your posts when conclusions are drawn based on what you say. Maybe I should cut down on the run-on sentences… Maybe you shouldn’t be so defensive, especially when the little hijack you and I have managed to create is the _only thing keeping this pointless thread alive_. I’m willing to concede this as a point that you and I won’t be agreeing on at any time in the near future and let this thread die the withering death it should’ve died a week ago. We’ve managed to peacefully post to the same threads before, so let’s let this stupid conspiracy thread that the OP bailed out on after a day and a half go to wherever it is that useless old threads go to die. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fourth-hijacked-flight-shot-down/146431.md?page=5)