# Why did the hijackers on Flight 93 make so many "mistakes"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 27, 2016, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-hijackers-on-flight-93-make-so-many-mistakes/755800 "2016-05-27T10:17:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-hijackers-on-flight-93-make-so-many-mistakes/755800/41 "2016-05-28T00:31:08Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > It was his first suicide hijacking. I imagine he was quite preoccupied with just flying straight and hitting the building at all. > > There is no evidence the plan was specifically meant to cause the towers to fail (which they could not have known they would) it was meant to just at least cause them to burn (which they knew it would as long as they hit them.) Had they not collapsed it would still have achieved its intended purpose, which was to cause a truly spectacular catastrophe to New York City’s tallest buildings. As Smapti has already pointed out, had they not collapsed on their own - which I knew they likely would when I saw it live for the first time, but you never know - they would have had to be taken down anyway, they were hopelessly wrecked. And if they don’t fall, they burn all day and people keep jumping out and it’s a horror that goes on and on for hours. It would have been just as evil a triumph for al-Qaida. > > What is somewhat more stupid, if you think about it from their perspective, is why they’d hit the Pentagon. I understand its symbolism, but it is far too large and low-slung an edifice to destroy with an airliner - actually, even calling it “a building” is kind of an understatement.; it is really many connected buildings. If one looks at aerial shots of the Pentagon after the attack one of the things you realize is that in most of the place, you literally could have stayed in your office and kept working. People working on the other side - this is literally true, supported by many sources - only knew the Pentagon had been attacked because they saw it on TV. A much more terrible effect would have been to hit the White House or Capitol, which would have completely destroyed either. IIRC, the primary targets were the White House and Capitol, and if that couldn’t be done, the hijackers diverted to the Pentagon as a secondary target, since it was more recognizable. It would have been pretty embarrassing to ram the Lincoln Memorial. Washington D.C.'s numerous landmarks do kind of look the same from high up. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-hijackers-on-flight-93-make-so-many-mistakes/755800/42 "2016-05-28T00:39:55Z")
> [@GlowingDarkness](#): > > They were fools who were so arrogant as to think that saving a few lives would have meant anything. I think someone needs to tell that to the family members. The world would not have ended if 5000 people as opposed to 3000 died that day. America would still be a country. Only a few weak minded family members would mourn. > > And they certainly crashed the plane for nothing. Will they get special rewards in heaven. Unlikely. At least the hijackers did it for something they believed in. Defeating what they called the ‘Great Satan’ So what you think the Flight 93 passengers should have done instead, since resistance was “arrogant” and “for nothing?” Should they have just sat passively in their seats? ---
**Author:** ![GlowingDarkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f04885/32.png) [@GlowingDarkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GlowingDarkness)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-hijackers-on-flight-93-make-so-many-mistakes/755800/43 "2016-05-28T00:44:17Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > What’s so special about them is that weren’t anyone special - it was a demonstration that ordinary people don’t have to be passive sheep. It _doesn’t matter_ if the actions of the hijackers or the passengers brought the airplane down, what matters is that it crashed into a field in Pennsylvania rather than the middle of a city. > > And we actually do know quite a bit about the flight due to phone calls and the black boxes. Any more ignorance you’d care to demonstrate? > I think it means something to the people who didn’t die. > > And talking about arrogant - suicide terrorists supposedly acting for a God that _condemns suicide_ in their holy text? The people who convinced them to do that are the truly evil ones. > 50 million died in WWII and the world didn’t end, what’s your point? > It speaks volumes about you that you think it’s “weak” to mourn the dead. > Who crashed the airplane? Are you claiming some special knowledge the rest of us don’t have? > > See, the rest of us - you know, the ones who have some clue what we’re talking about here - freely admit we don’t know which side crashed the airplane. What made the passengers heroic is that were willing to take on murderers unarmed to reduce the harm they could cause. Whether it was they who crashed the airplane or the terrorists is irrelevant to that point. 9/11 was pretty minor. And now we can laugh at how funny the whole thing was. Americans getting scared over planes flying into buildings. I mean come on… How can anyone be shocked after a plane hits the South Tower? Were citizens that ignorant. There should be IMO, no memorial built for anyone who died on 9/11. Life sucks and tough shit happens. The hijackers memorials should be sent back to their respective countries. And well lets move on. Here’s a funny meme involving Kanye West. [https://s14-eu5.ixquick.com/cgi-bin/serveimage?url=http%3A%2F%2F7.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr\_kpze8bgjMk1qzl3s5o1\_500.jpg&sp=2d02645a2ae88203f49202a1dc3bcb83](https://s14-eu5.ixquick.com/cgi-bin/serveimage?url=http%3A%2F%2F7.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_kpze8bgjMk1qzl3s5o1_500.jpg&sp=2d02645a2ae88203f49202a1dc3bcb83) ---
**Author:** ![GlowingDarkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f04885/32.png) [@GlowingDarkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GlowingDarkness)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-hijackers-on-flight-93-make-so-many-mistakes/755800/44 "2016-05-28T00:47:08Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > So what you think the Flight 93 passengers should have done instead, since resistance was “arrogant” and “for nothing?” Should they have just sat passively in their seats? Yeah, that’s what I would have done. Cooperate with the authority present there. Just have relaxed. It would habe been funny to watch them shout “Allahu Akbar” as they approached the Capitol and knowing your plane is being guided by 19 men out on the biggest suicide mission in history is well; Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-hijackers-on-flight-93-make-so-many-mistakes/755800/45 "2016-05-28T01:11:16Z")
> [@GlowingDarkness](#): > > They were fools who were so arrogant as to think that saving a few lives would have meant anything. I think someone needs to tell that to the family members. The world would not have ended if 5000 people as opposed to 3000 died that day. America would still be a country. Only a few weak minded family members would mourn. > > And they certainly crashed the plane for nothing. Will they get special rewards in heaven. Unlikely. At least the hijackers did it for something they believed in. Defeating what they called the ‘Great Satan’ Tell you what, **Glowing Darkness**. A lot of people on this Board know someone who died on 9/11. Why don’t you post your real name and contact information, and we’ll put you in touch with their “weak minded” family members so you can tell them the passengers on Fight 93 were arrogant fools and a couple thousand more fatalities that day wouldn’t have made any difference. ---
**Author:** ![GlowingDarkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f04885/32.png) [@GlowingDarkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GlowingDarkness)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-hijackers-on-flight-93-make-so-many-mistakes/755800/46 "2016-05-28T01:29:12Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Tell you what, **Glowing Darkness**. A lot of people on this Board know someone who died on 9/11. Why don’t you post your real name and contact information, and we’ll put you in touch with their “weak minded” family members so you can tell them the passengers on Fight 93 were arrogant fools and a couple thousand more fatalities that day wouldn’t have made any difference. I don’t live in the US. Why not just ask them to create an account on this board? Would love to share my point of view. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-hijackers-on-flight-93-make-so-many-mistakes/755800/47 "2016-05-28T01:42:31Z")
GlowingDarkness sounds jealous - maybe September 11th is his birthday and now he has to _share_ it. ---
**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:** [May 28, 2016, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-hijackers-on-flight-93-make-so-many-mistakes/755800/48 "2016-05-28T01:52:59Z")
> [@GlowingDarkness](#): > > 9/11 was pretty minor. And now we can laugh at how funny the whole thing was. Americans getting scared over planes flying into buildings. I mean come on… How can anyone be shocked after a plane hits the South Tower? Were citizens that ignorant. Yes, it is kind of shocking for airplanes to crash into buildings seeing as how the vast majority of pilots expend considerable effort to NOT crash their airplanes into anything. The first one MIGHT have been an accident, which would have sucked for those involved but yes, when the south tower was hit and it become obvious that it wasn’t an accident but a delibrate it was shocking because to normal people anywhere murder and suicide are shocking. It’s not a matter of ignorance but rather empathy for fellow human beings. > [@](#): > > There should be IMO, no memorial built for anyone who died on 9/11. You don’t get a vote. > [@](#): > > The hijackers memorials should be sent back to their respective countries. My understanding is that Saudi Arabia disowned the attackers who came from there and bin Laden so apparently that nation, at least, doesn’t agree with you, either. I’m assuming you meant “remains” as there are no memorials to any of the hijackers. Their death certificates list the cause of their demise as “suicide”, which category generally presumes mental illness. Their remains - what little there are - remain filed away as evidence of mass murder and otherwise forgotten and unmourned. Their names nowhere appear among the dead in the memorials, they do not deserve to be remembered except with contempt because they’re nothing more than thugs, murderers, and mentally ill. > [@GlowingDarkness](#): > > Yeah, that’s what I would have done. Cooperate with the authority present there. Just have relaxed. It would habe been funny to watch them shout “Allahu Akbar” as they approached the Capitol and knowing your plane is being guided by 19 men out on the biggest suicide mission in history is well; Interesting. You’re full of crap. I’m more inclined to think you’d be cowering in the back of the airplane and calling for fresh underwear. Monday morning quarterbacking is so much easier than actual reality. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-hijackers-on-flight-93-make-so-many-mistakes/755800/49 "2016-05-28T02:07:06Z")
:rolleyes:Everyone is a superninja on the internet.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-hijackers-on-flight-93-make-so-many-mistakes/755800/50 "2016-05-28T02:22:09Z")
**GlowingDarkness** , [please come down to the BBQ Pit](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=794190). ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-hijackers-on-flight-93-make-so-many-mistakes/755800/51 "2016-05-28T03:03:33Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > Why did they make so many mistakes? Well, be fair. They were complete beginners; none of them had ever attempted anything of the kind before. They were on a learning curve. I have a co-worker who plays the “it’s my first day” card several times a week. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-hijackers-on-flight-93-make-so-many-mistakes/755800/52 "2016-05-28T04:09:21Z")
That’s a steep learning curve … one little misstep and … boom … you survive. Don’t die a virgin, there’s terrorists up there waiting for you ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-hijackers-on-flight-93-make-so-many-mistakes/755800/53 "2016-05-28T04:33:40Z")
> [@GlowingDarkness](#): > > Tldr; The passenger’s on flight 93 are nothing special. The world should stop celebrating them. We don’t know what happened on that flight but fools like to assume that they beat the hijackers because most people want to maintain this good vs evil illusion. Maybe they weren’t special when they woke up that day, but they more than earned their place among the toughest and bravest people in our nation’s history before the rest of us finished our first cup of coffee that morning, so fuck you and anyone else who has even the slightest thing in common with you. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-hijackers-on-flight-93-make-so-many-mistakes/755800/54 "2016-05-28T04:38:05Z")
> [@GlowingDarkness](#): > > The hijackers before September 11th apparently realized the incredible difficulty of targeting the White House and changed their plans. It is a low lying building which is not visible from a high altitude. And correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t the secret service have missles which could shoot down a plane? Plus the President wasn’t there plus killing a whole lot of Congressmen would have been more disruptive. ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-hijackers-on-flight-93-make-so-many-mistakes/755800/55 "2016-05-28T04:47:27Z")
> [@skdo23](#): > > Maybe they weren’t special when they woke up that day, but they more than earned their place among the toughest and bravest people in our nation’s history before the rest of us finished our first cup of coffee that morning, so fuck you and anyone else who has even the slightest thing in common with you. Sorry, my apologies to everyone except the OP, I meant to cut and paste his above post and [BBQ his ass](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=794190), but I got distracted by the slightly less important neighborhood BBQ I’m currently hosting in my backyard and posted it here in GD by mistake. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![GlowingDarkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f04885/32.png) [@GlowingDarkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GlowingDarkness)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-hijackers-on-flight-93-make-so-many-mistakes/755800/56 "2016-05-28T06:15:19Z")
> [@skdo23](#): > > Maybe they weren’t special when they woke up that day, but they more than earned their place among the toughest and bravest people in our nation’s history before the rest of us finished our first cup of coffee that morning, so fuck you and anyone else who has even the slightest thing in common with you. Lets just imagine something not so impossible. Meeting a foreigner like me in the US. What would you say to me? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-hijackers-on-flight-93-make-so-many-mistakes/755800/57 "2016-05-28T07:29:33Z")
> [@GlowingDarkness](#): > > Lets just imagine something not so impossible. Meeting a foreigner like me in the US. What would you say to me? **Moderating** I would say you are banned as a troll. This is closed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-hijackers-on-flight-93-make-so-many-mistakes/755800.md?page=2)