Where did flight 93 take off from? United Airlines Flight 93 departed from Newark International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, on September 11, 2001, bound for San Francisco International Airport. The Boeing 757 left the airport’s Terminal A, Gate 17, after a delay caused by morning airport traffic and ultimately crashed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew attempted to regain control of the hijacked aircraft.
Flight 93 is remembered as the fourth commercial airliner hijacked during the September 11 attacks. Unlike the other three hijacked aircraft, it did not reach its intended target. The actions of the passengers and crew prevented the plane from reaching Washington, D.C., although the aircraft crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at 10:03 a.m. Eastern Time.
Flight 93 departed from Newark, New Jersey
United Airlines Flight 93 began its journey at Newark International Airport, now known as Newark Liberty International Airport, in New Jersey.
The flight was scheduled as a nonstop trip from Newark to San Francisco, California. On September 11, 2001, passengers boarded the Boeing 757 at Terminal A, Gate 17. The scheduled gate departure time was 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
The National Park Service identifies Newark as the departure airport and San Francisco as the scheduled destination. The aircraft ultimately left the ground at approximately 8:42 a.m., more than 25 minutes after its planned departure time.
This distinction between the scheduled departure and actual takeoff is important when examining the timeline of September 11. Flight 93 was not simply sitting at the gate when the attacks elsewhere had already unfolded. Its delayed takeoff meant that it was still on the ground while the other hijacked flights were already beginning their deadly missions.
What airport did Flight 93 leave from?
The airport was Newark International Airport in Newark, New Jersey. It was later renamed Newark Liberty International Airport.
At the time of the September 11 attacks, the airport was commonly identified as Newark International Airport. Today, the facility is officially known as Newark Liberty International Airport.
Flight 93’s departure point was therefore in the New York metropolitan area, while its planned destination was on the opposite side of the country in Northern California.
The flight’s route was intended to be a normal cross-country journey. It was one of several long-distance commercial flights selected by the hijackers on September 11, 2001.
When was Flight 93 supposed to leave Newark?
United Airlines Flight 93 was scheduled to depart its gate at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
The aircraft did leave the gate shortly after that scheduled time, at approximately 8:01 a.m. However, it did not immediately take off. Heavy morning traffic at the airport delayed the aircraft’s movement toward takeoff.
Flight 93 eventually became airborne at approximately 8:42 a.m.
That 41-minute difference between leaving the gate and taking off became a significant part of the September 11 timeline. The delay meant that Flight 93 was still on the ground when American Airlines Flight 11 was hijacked and when the other aircraft involved in the attacks were beginning their journeys.
The National Park Service notes that the delay was related to the airport’s heavy morning traffic.
Flight 93’s planned destination was San Francisco
Although much of the historical discussion surrounding Flight 93 focuses on its final moments in Pennsylvania, its original mission was completely different.
United Airlines Flight 93 was scheduled to fly from Newark to San Francisco International Airport.
The scheduled arrival time was 11:14 a.m. Pacific Time. It was a long-distance transcontinental flight operated with a Boeing 757.
The aircraft carried 40 people in total: 33 passengers, seven crew members and four hijackers.
The flight’s crew included Captain Jason M. Dahl and First Officer LeRoy Homer Jr., along with five flight attendants.
The passengers represented a wide range of ages and backgrounds and were traveling for ordinary personal and professional reasons. Some were traveling for business, while others were heading home or taking trips for personal reasons.
Why was Flight 93 delayed?
Flight 93 was delayed primarily because of heavy morning traffic at Newark Airport.
Its scheduled gate departure was 8:00 a.m., and the aircraft left the gate at approximately 8:01 a.m. However, it remained on the ground until 8:42 a.m., when it finally took off.
The delay had an extraordinary consequence because of what was happening elsewhere in the United States.
American Airlines Flight 11 had already departed Boston and was hijacked before crashing into the World Trade Center’s North Tower at 8:46 a.m. United Airlines Flight 175, also departing Boston, crashed into the South Tower at 9:03 a.m.
American Airlines Flight 77, which had departed Washington, D.C., crashed into the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m.
Flight 93 was still flying across the country during these developments.
What happened after Flight 93 took off?
Flight 93 initially followed its planned route toward San Francisco.
The aircraft was airborne for roughly 46 minutes before the hijacking began. At approximately 9:28 a.m., the hijackers attacked the cockpit and took control of the aircraft.
The plane then changed direction and began heading southeast toward Washington, D.C.
The exact intended target has been described in official historical accounts as most likely the U.S. Capitol, although the aircraft never reached Washington.
By this point, people aboard Flight 93 had learned through telephone calls and conversations about the attacks that had already taken place in New York and at the Pentagon.
Passengers and crew began to understand that their aircraft was part of the broader terrorist operation.
The passengers and crew fought back
The most significant part of Flight 93’s story came during the final minutes of the flight.
Passengers and crew members learned that hijacked aircraft had already been used as weapons against major American targets. Several people aboard Flight 93 made telephone calls to family members, friends and others on the ground.
Those communications helped reveal what was happening aboard the aircraft.
At approximately 9:57 a.m., passengers and crew members began an attempt to regain control of the plane.
The struggle lasted only a few minutes. The aircraft was moving rapidly toward Washington, but the passengers’ counterattack prevented the hijackers from reaching their intended destination.
At 10:03 a.m., Flight 93 crashed into a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
Everyone aboard the aircraft was killed.
Where did Flight 93 crash?
Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
The crash site is now part of Flight 93 National Memorial, administered by the National Park Service.
The location became one of the most important memorial sites associated with September 11 because the actions of the passengers and crew prevented the hijacked plane from reaching its intended target.
The crash occurred in a rural area rather than in a major population center. The aircraft struck the ground at high speed, leaving a large impact area and debris field.
The site has since been preserved as a place of remembrance.
The Flight 93 timeline
The basic journey of the aircraft can be summarized through several important times on September 11, 2001:
- 8:00 a.m. — Flight 93 was scheduled to leave its gate at Newark.
- 8:01 a.m. — The aircraft left the gate.
- 8:42 a.m. — Flight 93 took off from Newark International Airport.
- 9:28 a.m. — The hijacking of the aircraft began.
- 9:37 a.m. — American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon.
- Approximately 9:57 a.m. — Passengers and crew began their attempt to regain control.
- 10:03 a.m. — Flight 93 crashed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
All times in this sequence are Eastern Time unless otherwise noted.
The timeline demonstrates why the aircraft’s delayed takeoff from Newark became such an important part of the historical record.
Who was aboard Flight 93?
There were 40 people aboard United Airlines Flight 93.
The group consisted of 33 passengers and seven crew members. Four additional people who had boarded the aircraft as passengers were hijackers, bringing the total number of people aboard to 44.
The crew included Captain Jason Dahl, First Officer LeRoy Homer Jr. and five flight attendants.
The National Park Service preserves the names of the passengers and crew at Flight 93 National Memorial. Their names are engraved on the Wall of Names at the memorial site.
The memorial’s design emphasizes the individuality of the people aboard the aircraft as well as the collective action that took place during the final minutes of the flight.
Why the Newark departure matters to the Flight 93 story
Knowing where Flight 93 began helps put the entire sequence of events into perspective.
The aircraft was scheduled to make a routine trip from New Jersey to California. Nothing about its original itinerary suggested that it would become part of the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history.
Its departure from Newark also places Flight 93 within the larger geography of the September 11 attacks. Three of the four hijacked aircraft originated on the East Coast, and Flight 93 was the only one of the four that did not reach its intended target.
The aircraft’s late takeoff also changed the timing of events aboard the plane. By the time Flight 93 was airborne, the attacks involving the World Trade Center were already underway.
That sequence became crucial because passengers eventually learned enough about the attacks to realize that their aircraft was likely being used for a similar purpose.
Newark Liberty International Airport today
Newark International Airport, the departure point for Flight 93, is now officially called Newark Liberty International Airport.
The airport remains one of the major airports serving the New York metropolitan region. Its connection to Flight 93 is permanently preserved in the historical record of September 11.
For visitors interested in the story of Flight 93, the most significant memorial site is not at Newark but at the crash location in Pennsylvania. Flight 93 National Memorial preserves the crash site and tells the story of the passengers and crew who fought back against the hijackers.
The National Park Service continues to operate and maintain the memorial, which includes the Memorial Plaza, Wall of Names, Visitor Center Complex and Tower of Voices.
The enduring significance of Flight 93
Flight 93 occupies a unique place in the history of September 11 because its passengers and crew took action after learning that the hijackers intended to use the aircraft as a weapon.
The aircraft began as a scheduled Newark-to-San Francisco flight. Its passengers expected a routine cross-country journey. Instead, the flight became part of a coordinated terrorist attack that changed the United States permanently.
The answer to where did flight 93 take off from is straightforward: Newark International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, now Newark Liberty International Airport. The aircraft was scheduled to fly to San Francisco but was hijacked after takeoff and ultimately crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The departure from Newark is therefore the first major location in a story that ended with one of the most consequential acts of resistance during the September 11 attacks.
Final thoughts
United Airlines Flight 93 took off from Newark International Airport in New Jersey at approximately 8:42 a.m. Eastern Time on September 11, 2001. Its scheduled destination was San Francisco, but the aircraft was hijacked roughly 46 minutes into the flight and redirected toward Washington, D.C. Passengers and crew fought back, and the plane crashed in Pennsylvania at 10:03 a.m. The story remains closely associated with Newark, San Francisco, Shanksville and the broader history of September 11.
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