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United Airlines Flight 175

SOLVED2001World Trade Center, South Tower3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Archival record

United Airlines Flight 175 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Logan International Airport in Boston to Los Angeles International Airport. On the morning of September 11, 2001, it was hijacked by five men affiliated with al-Qaeda as part of the coordinated September 11 attacks. The Boeing 767-200 aircraft, registration N612UA, carried 51 passengers and 9 crew members in addition to the five hijackers. The hijacking team was led by Marwan al-Shehhi, who had trained as a pilot in South Florida alongside other hijackers involved in the broader plot, which was organized by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and planned by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

According to the Wikipedia account of the incident, the hijackers—al-Shehhi, Fayez Banihammad, Mohand al-Shehri, and brothers Hamza and Ahmed al-Ghamdi—forced their way into the cockpit approximately 28 minutes into the flight, injuring crew members and killing both pilots, Captain Victor Saracini and First Officer Michael Horrocks. Al-Shehhi then took control of the aircraft. Air traffic controllers noticed the plane's deviation from its assigned flight path several minutes after the takeover, and the aircraft narrowly avoided at least three separate midair collisions with other commercial flights as it was flown toward New York City.

During the hijacking, flight attendant Robert Fangman and passengers Peter Hanson and Brian David Sweeney made phone calls to family members, colleagues, and a United Airlines maintenance office, describing the hijacking, injuries to crew, and the erratic movement of the aircraft. At 09:03 a.m., approximately 21 minutes after the hijacking began, al-Shehhi crashed the plane into the South Tower of the World Trade Center, striking floors 77 through 85. All occupants of the aircraft were killed instantly. The crash was captured live on television and by numerous photographers, since media were already covering the earlier crash of American Airlines Flight 11 into the North Tower.

The impact and resulting fires caused the South Tower to collapse at 9:59 a.m., killing everyone who remained inside, including more than 600 people who had been on or above the impact floors. Only 18 people located above the impact zone were able to descend through an intact stairwell and escape before the collapse. Passengers of Flight 175 included the youngest and one of the oldest victims of the September 11 attacks. Flight recorders from the aircraft were never recovered, though debris—including landing gear, an engine, and later a wing flap fragment found in 2013—was located near the World Trade Center site. Remains of some victims, including Peter Hanson and Alona Abraham, were identified through forensic and DNA analysis in the years following the attack, though many victims' remains were never recovered.

Civil litigation followed on behalf of victims' families, with most cases settled confidentially; only one case, brought by the family of passenger Mark Bavis, proceeded to trial before being settled in 2011. The federal government also administered compensation through the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

Key facts

Victims
Robert Fangman, Michael Horrocks, Alfred Marchand, Amy King, Alicia Titus, Alona Abraham, Daniel Suhr, Mark Bavis, Michael Tarrou, Peter Hanson, Brian David Sweeney, Victor Saracini, Kathryn Laborie, Garnet Bailey, Dorothy DeAraujo, Amy Jarret, Christine Hanson, Lisa Frost, Louis Neil Mariani, Sue Hanson
Date
2001
Location
World Trade Center, South Tower
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2001-09-11

    Flight 175 departs Logan International Airport in Boston at 08:14 for Los Angeles.

  2. 2001-09-11

    Hijackers breach the cockpit, kill both pilots, and Marwan al-Shehhi takes control of the aircraft, approximately 08:42–08:46.

  3. 2001-09-11

    Air traffic controllers first notice the aircraft's deviation from its assigned flight path, 08:51.

  4. 2001-09-11

    Flight attendant Robert Fangman calls a United Airlines maintenance office reporting the hijacking, 08:52.

  5. 2001-09-11

    Passenger Peter Hanson makes a second call to his father describing conditions aboard the flight shortly before impact, 09:00.

  6. 2001-09-11

    Flight 175 crashes into the South Tower of the World Trade Center at 09:03, killing all aboard.

  7. 2001-09-11

    The South Tower collapses at 09:59, killing all who remained inside.

  8. 2008

    Remains of passenger Alona Abraham are identified using DNA samples.

  9. 2011-05

    United Airlines briefly reactivates flight numbers 175 and 93 as a codeshare, then reverses the decision after public criticism.

  10. 2011-09

    A wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the family of passenger Mark Bavis against United Airlines, Boeing, and the airport security company is settled.

  11. 2013-04

    A piece of a Boeing 767 inboard wing flap mechanism is discovered wedged between two buildings near the former World Trade Center site.

Best coverage

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People

  • Fayez Banihammad

    CHARGED

    Hijacker identified as one of those who breached the cockpit; died in the crash and was never prosecuted in a court of law.

  • Robert Fangman

    VICTIM

    Flight attendant aboard Flight 175 who made a phone call reporting the hijacking; killed in the crash.

  • Michael Horrocks

    VICTIM

    First officer of Flight 175, killed by hijackers during the takeover of the cockpit.

  • Hamza al-Ghamdi

    CHARGED

    Hijacker involved in forcing passengers and crew to the rear of the aircraft; died in the crash and was never prosecuted in a court of law.

  • Alfred Marchand

    VICTIM

    Flight attendant aboard Flight 175, killed in the crash.

  • Amy King

    VICTIM

    Flight attendant aboard Flight 175, killed in the crash.

  • Alicia Titus

    VICTIM

    Flight attendant aboard Flight 175, killed in the crash.

  • Alona Abraham

    VICTIM

    Passenger aboard Flight 175 whose remains were identified via DNA analysis in 2008.

  • Daniel Suhr

    VICTIM

    Firefighter responding to the South Tower who was killed when struck by a person who had jumped from the burning building.

  • Mark Bavis

    VICTIM

    Passenger and former athlete, killed in the crash; his family's wrongful-death lawsuit was the only Flight 175-related case to proceed to civil trial.

  • Michael Tarrou

    VICTIM

    Flight attendant aboard Flight 175, killed in the crash.

  • Peter Hanson

    VICTIM

    Passenger who made phone calls to his father describing the hijacking; killed with his wife and daughter in the crash.

  • Mohand al-Shehri

    CHARGED

    Hijacker identified as one of those who breached the cockpit; died in the crash and was never prosecuted in a court of law.

  • Brian David Sweeney

    VICTIM

    Passenger who called his wife and mother during the hijacking; killed in the crash.

  • Victor Saracini

    VICTIM

    Captain of Flight 175, killed by hijackers during the takeover of the cockpit.

  • Kathryn Laborie

    VICTIM

    Purser aboard Flight 175, killed in the crash.

  • Garnet Bailey

    VICTIM

    Passenger and hockey scout, killed in the crash.

  • Dorothy DeAraujo

    VICTIM

    82-year-old passenger, the oldest passenger victim aboard Flight 175, killed in the crash.

  • Stanley Praimnath

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    South Tower occupant who survived after witnessing the plane's approach and escaped via the intact stairwell; included here as a named survivor, not law enforcement personnel.

  • Amy Jarret

    VICTIM

    Flight attendant aboard Flight 175, killed in the crash.

  • Christine Hanson

    VICTIM

    Two-year-old passenger, the youngest victim of the September 11 attacks, killed in the crash.

  • Lisa Frost

    VICTIM

    Passenger aboard Flight 175 whose remains were partially identified during the recovery effort.

  • Ahmed al-Ghamdi

    CHARGED

    Hijacker involved in forcing passengers and crew to the rear of the aircraft; died in the crash and was never prosecuted in a court of law.

  • Louis Neil Mariani

    VICTIM

    Passenger aboard Flight 175; his widow later filed civil suits related to his death.

  • Sue Hanson

    VICTIM

    Passenger, wife of Peter Hanson, killed in the crash.

  • Marwan al-Shehhi

    CHARGED

    Lead hijacker who piloted Flight 175 into the South Tower; died in the crash and was never prosecuted in a court of law.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • Boston Logan Gate C19 with Flag and Jet

    archival location

    Boston Logan Gate C19 with Flag and Jet

    Jeremy Kemp · Public domain · Source

  • UA Flight 175 hits WTC south tower 9-11

    crime scene press

    UA Flight 175 hits WTC south tower 9-11

    Flickr user TheMachineStops. Credit: Robert J. Fisch. · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source

Places

World Trade Center, South Tower

40.7108, -74.0131

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On September 11, 2001, five al-Qaeda hijackers seized United Airlines Flight 175, a Boeing 767 flying from Boston to Los Angeles, killed both pilots, and deliberately crashed the plane into the South Tower of the World Trade Center, killing all 65 people aboard and contributing to the deaths of more than 600 others in the tower.
Where did the crime happen?
World Trade Center, South Tower.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in New York

Sources

  1. United Airlines Flight 175wikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Airplane Debris Found Near World Trade Center Sitenews · The New York Times · 2026-07-07
  3. World Trade Center Crash Coveragenews · The Guardian · 2026-07-07