Posted 12th October 2004
13:00
Edited 15:00 & 23:15 12/10/04
Update 13/10/04

First UA93 Tuesday Flight was on 9-11

Original Headline:

First UA Flight 93 of 2001 on 9-11?

Flight 93 Not A Scheduled Recurring Flight

12th October 2004

by Simon Aronowitz

 [Update - 13th October 04 - ThoughtCrimeNews has now learned that Flight 93 began as a scheduled service from EWR to SFO on September 5th 2001, but the first Tuesday flight was indeed on 9-11. The story below has not been changed to reflect this; instead this update has been posted. This information was not forthcoming until after the original story had been posted.]

ThoughtCrimeNews.com has learned through a search of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) databases that United Flight 93, as we have been given to understand it, flew for the first time on 11th September 2001.

United Flight 93 was apparently scheduled to fly from Newark Airport (EWR) to San Francisco (SFO) on Tuesday 11th September 2001. However a search of the BTS database, the federal government's own records, indicates that the first `United Flight 93' from Newark to San Francisco on a Tuesday was on the day of 9-11. 


Scheduled flight numbers often denote a regular flight at the same time of day and on the same day or days of the week. Yet a search of the BTS database yielded only one result for United Flight 93 on the Newark to San Francisco route on any Tuesday in 2001 up to and including the flight on 9-11 which apparently crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pa.

A search of the database for any instances of a United Flight 93 on the same route for any day of the week in the same 9 month period gave only seven instances, including the flight on 9-11.

The statistics for the number of flights delayed, also generated by the search, raises more questions. With a given number of flights for the chosen time period, the table of statistics generated contains the number of those flights which were delayed. For example in the period from 1st January 2001 until 9-11, United Flight 81 from Newark to San Francisco flew 14 times on a Tuesday. The stats indicate that of those 14 flights, 7 were diverted. Yet for Flight 93 and its sole Tuesday flight on 11th September 2001, 9 diversions are listed in the table. This is clearly impossible.

Furthermore, the scheduled arrival time of Flight 93 was 11.14 am, yet the records state that it actually landed at 12.00 am. Another impossibility.

Mainstream sources have stated that Flight 93 pushed off from the departure gate at 8.01 am but did not take off until 8.42 am (Boston Globe and others). The BTS database lists the `actual departure time' as 8.01 and the `wheels-off' time for UA0093 as 8.28am.

The search engine on the front page of the BTS website (http://www.bts.gov) tells us that from 1st January to 11th September 2001 there were 253 instances of UA0093. However, the other database search results indicate that 246 of these flights were not on the same route as that taken by UA0093 on 9-11, i.e. these were not flights from Newark to San Francisco.

Researchers into the events of 9-11 have described these findings as "extraordinary" and difficult to dismiss. The concept of regularly scheduled and recurring flights is illustrated in the search results with regard to other flights. For example, United Flight 73 flew the same route as `Flight 93' 36 times in 2001 up until 9-11.

The Director of Public Affairs for the Bureau for Transportation Statistics confirmed that the database should list all domestic United flights. In a telephone interview, Dave Smallen explained that the statistics are compiled from reports submitted by the airlines rather than generated automatically by air traffic control (ATC) computer systems. Smallen stated that missing statistics would be pursued, and that with regard to details of flights from the main carriers including United, "Everything should be filed".

Additionally, Smallen explained that even if a flight crashed or had to conduct an emergency landing, it would still be listed in the database with its departure time. An emergency landing would be denoted in the statistics as a `diversion'.

The figure for the number of diversions listed for UA93 on 9-11 suggests that there may be a lack of data integrity in the BTS databases. However Smallen's explanation of how the information is submitted and handled suggests that the Bureau for Transportation Statistics would endeavour to keep its data accurate. Flight 93 is now one of the most renowned flights in modern history, yet the government data on this flight suggests that all was not as it seemed.

Taken at face value, 11th September 2001 saw the maiden Tuesday voyage of United Flight 93 from Newark to San Francisco. In that respect, Flight 93 could not have been a regularly scheduled and recurring flight.


Note: Hard copies of the search results are being maintained by this writer in the event that the database is `adjusted'. The search results are also listed below.

If anyone has a pocket timetable for United Airlines covering January to September 2001, please contact this writer.

URL for database search:

http://www.bts.gov/cgi-bin/oai/ontime_js.pl

You have selected the following for your on-time report

Click here for BTS original search results

You have selected the following for your on-time report

Click here for BTS original search results

Click here for BTS original search results

Incidences of a UA0093 in 2001 until 9-11
From the BTS front page search engine

On September 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight #11 and #77 and United Airlines #93 and #175 were hijacked by terrorists. Therefore, these flights are not included in the on-time summary statistics.

(Cont'd)

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

(Cont'd)

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

`Wheels-Off' Time for UA0093

Detailed Statistics > Departure Statistics

Departure Statistic(s): Wheels-off Time
Airport(s): EWR
Airline(s): UA
Month(s): September
Day(s): 11
Year(s): 2001

NOTE: A complete listing of airline and airport abbreviations is available. After the entire table is displayed on your screen, you may download a CSV (comma separated values) file of this table.

On September 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight #11 and #77 and United Airlines #93 and #175 were hijacked by terrorists. Therefore, on-time statistics are not available for these flights.

United Flight 93 started scheduled service September 5th 2001

You have selected the following for your on-time report

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