Gina Marie
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
The relatives who wanted to were allowed to listen to the cvr's today. I just don't think I could do it.
As bad as you imagine it to be, somehow I think listening to the tapes would make it worse. But I also understand the people who felt the need to do it to honor their loved ones. What a horrible dilemma to have to face...
By SHEILA HOTCHKIN, Associated Press Writer
PLAINSBORO, N.J. (AP) - With grief counselors on hand, relatives of those who died aboard United Flight 93 heard a cockpit recording Thursday that included "yelling and screaming" just before the hijacked plane crashed in a Pennsylvania field Sept. 11.
Thomas Burnett, whose son Tom was among the four people who used cell phones to call out before they were killed, said he heard the cries as he and about 100 other relatives listened to the chilling tape.
"A lot of it we couldn't follow very well," Burnett said.
The listening session, held behind closed doors, marked the first time the government let relatives of any U.S. plane crash hear cockpit tapes. Most family members said nothing afterward.
"Today is a very bittersweet day," said Hamilton Peterson, whose father, Donald, died in the crash. "Obviously, the enormity of the tragedy is here but it's a very proud moment."
Peterson said he learned things from the tape that he did not know before, but declined to elaborate.
Flight 93 has taken on special meaning since Sept. 11. It was the only one of the four hijacked planes that day that didn't kill anyone on the ground, and there is evidence those aboard tried to fight back after one cried "Let's roll!"
Forty-four passengers and crew members were killed when the airliner, bound from Newark to San Francisco, crashed in rural western Pennsylvania. Many have speculated that the passengers kept the hijackers from plunging the jet into a populated target.
The cockpit tape was played in the morning for families of the crew and in the afternoon for passengers' relatives, with time left for discussion and questions. No reporters were allowed in and officials were under orders not to talk.
The 31-minute tape recorded in a continuous loop, but officials have declined to offer details on its contents.
Alice Hoglan of Los Gatos, Calif., said she knew the contents would be disturbing. Her son, Mark Bingham, was one of the passengers hailed as heroes for vowing to take on the hijackers moments before the crash.
Hoglan said she was told families would hear a woman pleading for her life, and the last five to seven minutes would be filled with violence and yelling in both Arabic and English.
"Still, I feel compelled to listen. I owe it to the memory of Mark to learn all I can," the former United flight attendant said before she went inside.
Some relatives came but decided against listening to the tape. Among them was Mitchell Zykofski, whose stepfather John Talalignani died in the crash.
"They said it was very graphic detail of what went on in the cockpit. They said it was horrifying," he said. "That was enough for me to decide that I didn't want to hear it."
Zykofski said he didn't regret coming. "I wanted to come to represent my stepfather, who died needlessly, and also as a hero," Zykofski said.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates aviation accidents, had never before allowed relatives to listen to cockpit tapes. Federal law bars the agency from giving out transcripts until most factual reports are complete.
As bad as you imagine it to be, somehow I think listening to the tapes would make it worse. But I also understand the people who felt the need to do it to honor their loved ones. What a horrible dilemma to have to face...
By SHEILA HOTCHKIN, Associated Press Writer
PLAINSBORO, N.J. (AP) - With grief counselors on hand, relatives of those who died aboard United Flight 93 heard a cockpit recording Thursday that included "yelling and screaming" just before the hijacked plane crashed in a Pennsylvania field Sept. 11.
Thomas Burnett, whose son Tom was among the four people who used cell phones to call out before they were killed, said he heard the cries as he and about 100 other relatives listened to the chilling tape.
"A lot of it we couldn't follow very well," Burnett said.
The listening session, held behind closed doors, marked the first time the government let relatives of any U.S. plane crash hear cockpit tapes. Most family members said nothing afterward.
"Today is a very bittersweet day," said Hamilton Peterson, whose father, Donald, died in the crash. "Obviously, the enormity of the tragedy is here but it's a very proud moment."
Peterson said he learned things from the tape that he did not know before, but declined to elaborate.
Flight 93 has taken on special meaning since Sept. 11. It was the only one of the four hijacked planes that day that didn't kill anyone on the ground, and there is evidence those aboard tried to fight back after one cried "Let's roll!"
Forty-four passengers and crew members were killed when the airliner, bound from Newark to San Francisco, crashed in rural western Pennsylvania. Many have speculated that the passengers kept the hijackers from plunging the jet into a populated target.
The cockpit tape was played in the morning for families of the crew and in the afternoon for passengers' relatives, with time left for discussion and questions. No reporters were allowed in and officials were under orders not to talk.
The 31-minute tape recorded in a continuous loop, but officials have declined to offer details on its contents.
Alice Hoglan of Los Gatos, Calif., said she knew the contents would be disturbing. Her son, Mark Bingham, was one of the passengers hailed as heroes for vowing to take on the hijackers moments before the crash.
Hoglan said she was told families would hear a woman pleading for her life, and the last five to seven minutes would be filled with violence and yelling in both Arabic and English.
"Still, I feel compelled to listen. I owe it to the memory of Mark to learn all I can," the former United flight attendant said before she went inside.
Some relatives came but decided against listening to the tape. Among them was Mitchell Zykofski, whose stepfather John Talalignani died in the crash.
"They said it was very graphic detail of what went on in the cockpit. They said it was horrifying," he said. "That was enough for me to decide that I didn't want to hear it."
Zykofski said he didn't regret coming. "I wanted to come to represent my stepfather, who died needlessly, and also as a hero," Zykofski said.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates aviation accidents, had never before allowed relatives to listen to cockpit tapes. Federal law bars the agency from giving out transcripts until most factual reports are complete.
