The televised tragedy that redefined global security and aviation history

Cultures · Published 30 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: On September 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 175 became the second-deadliest plane crash in history. Unlike the first, this impact was witnessed live by a global audience, turning a domestic hijacking into a moment of unprecedented, shared trauma.

Departing Boston Logan International Airport at 8:14 AM, United Airlines Flight 175 was a scheduled transcontinental service bound for Los Angeles. The flight, a Boeing 767, was part of a coordinated al-Qaeda attack orchestrated by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and funded by Osama bin Laden. The hijackers, including lead hijacker Marwan al-Shehhi, took control of the aircraft by forcing their way into the cockpit and killing both pilots.

While the first hijacked plane, American Airlines Flight 11, had struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46 AM, the situation on Flight 175 unfolded with different technical signatures. Unlike the first team, the hijackers on Flight 175 did not switch off the plane's transponder. This allowed New York Center's radar to track the aircraft, even as it deviated from its assigned altitude and controllers' attempts to contact the cockpit went unanswered after 8:51 AM.

The tragedy reached a climax at 9:03:11 AM when the plane struck the South Tower between floors 77 and 85. This impact was uniquely harrowing because, due to the ongoing media coverage of the North Tower crash, the second impact was televised live around the world. The resulting fires led to the South Tower's collapse at 9:59 AM. The hijacking resulted in 65 fatalities aboard the plane, contributing to the total death toll of 2,753 people from the twin tower attacks.

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