United Airlines Flight 175
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| United Airlines Flight 175 | |
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 MysidOriginal by the 9/11 Commission · Public domain · source | |
| Name | United Airlines Flight 175 |
| Date | September 11, 2001 |
| Summary | Hijacking and deliberate crash into the South Tower of the World Trade Center |
| Site | World Trade Center, Manhattan, New York City |
| Aircraft | Boeing 767-222 |
| Operator | United Airlines |
| Origin | Logan International Airport |
| Destination | Los Angeles International Airport |
| Occupants | 65 (56 passengers, 9 crew) |
| Fatalities | 65 (all) |
United Airlines Flight 175 was a scheduled transcontinental airliner service hijacked on September 11, 2001, and flown into the South Tower of the World Trade Center complex in New York City, forming a central event of the September 11 attacks. The aircraft, a Boeing 767 operated by United Airlines on a route from Logan International Airport in Boston to Los Angeles International Airport on Los Angeles, was commandeered shortly after takeoff and crashed into 2 World Trade Center at 09:03 local time, causing massive structural failure and contributing to the collapse of the South Tower. The hijacking was carried out by members of al-Qaeda; the crash killed everyone on board and numerous occupants and first responders in the tower.
Flight and hijacking
Flight 175 departed Boston Logan International Airport from Gate C19 bound for Los Angeles International Airport with scheduled service on September 11, 2001. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft was commandeered by five al-Qaeda hijackers who used force consistent with other 9/11 flights; contemporaneous airline operations and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) communications recorded loss of normal cockpit communication. The timeline of hijack communications and radar returns was reconstructed by investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the 9/11 Commission; data cross-referenced with NORAD radar, Boston Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) logs, and New York TRACON transcripts placed Flight 175 on an intercept course toward Manhattan. Military responses included scrambled jets from Otis Air National Guard Base and coordination by North American Aerospace Defense Command; delays and miscommunications involving FAA Northeast Air Defense Sector and Joint Chiefs of Staff notifications were later scrutinized by the Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States.
Aircraft and crew
The aircraft, a Boeing 767-222 (registration N612UA), had been delivered to United in 1983 and was maintained under United's maintenance program in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations. The cockpit crew included Captain Victor Saracini and First Officer Michael Horrocks, both employed by United Airlines and trained under airline procedures consistent with Airline Transport Pilot standards; cabin crew members included Lorraine Bay, Deborah Welsh, and others who assisted passengers and attempted to communicate hijacking conditions via onboard transmissions and passenger phone calls. Passenger manifests and crew rosters were compiled by United and provided to the FBI for victim identification and investigative purposes; several passengers made phone calls using airphone systems and mobile phones from the aircraft, providing critical real-time intelligence used by the FBI Criminal Investigative Division and New York City Police Department analysts.
Victims and casualties
All 65 people aboard (56 passengers, 9 crew) died when the aircraft struck the South Tower; the impact and subsequent fires caused additional fatalities among occupants of 2 World Trade Center, including office workers from numerous corporations such as Marsh & McLennan Companies, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, and Windows on the World contractors. Casualty assessments were conducted by the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner and emergency responders from New York City Fire Department (FDNY) and New York City Police Department (NYPD); victim identification employed dental records, DNA analysis by the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) and other forensic laboratories, and cross-referencing with airline manifests. The human toll contributed to national casualty counts compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and subsequent public health studies on trauma, exposure, and long-term morbidity among survivors and first responders.
Investigations and evidence
Investigations into the hijacking and crash involved coordinated efforts by the FBI, NTSB, and the 9/11 Commission, with evidence comprising cockpit voice recorder fragments, radar data, air traffic control transcripts, passenger phone calls, recovered aircraft debris, and flight manifest analysis. Forensic examination of recovered wreckage by NTSB technicians and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) engineers informed structural and fire dynamics modeling used in the NIST World Trade Center investigation. Intelligence materials linking the hijackers to al-Qaeda operatives and planners were developed through interrogations, seized documents, financial transaction analysis by Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) investigators, and collaborations with international agencies such as MI6, Canadian Security Intelligence Service, and BND. The Commission's final report criticized failures in intelligence-sharing among Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), FBI, and FAA units and recommended sweeping counterterrorism reforms.
Aftermath and impact
The crash of Flight 175 was a defining act in the coordinated attacks that provoked immediate global reactions from heads of state including George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Junichiro Koizumi, and leaders of the European Union. U.S. policy responses included the enactment of the USA PATRIOT Act and the launch of the War on Terror, leading to military operations in Afghanistan against the Taliban regime and al-Qaeda training camps. Aviation security was overhauled with the creation of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), hardened cockpit doors, new screening protocols adopted by airlines including United Airlines, and international civil aviation changes coordinated by the International Civil Aviation Organization. Legal and policy debates followed in the United States Senate and House of Representatives over surveillance, civil liberties, and counterterrorism funding, while litigation involving victims' families led to settlements and legislative measures such as the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund.
Memorials and commemoration
Memorial efforts commemorating the victims of Flight 175 include the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center site, which lists the names of passengers and crew alongside those of Office Tower victims; additional memorials and plaques exist in Boston, Queens, and locations connected to victims' lives. Annual remembrance ceremonies involve representatives from United Airlines, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and survivor organizations such as the Families of September 11, Inc.; cultural responses include documentaries and films examined by scholars at institutions like Columbia University, New York University, and Harvard University as part of studies on terrorism, media, and public memory. The legacy of Flight 175 is preserved in archival records kept by the National Archives and Records Administration and in educational materials produced by agencies including the 9/11 Memorial Museum and university research centers.