9:36 a.m. September 11, 2001: Passenger Mark Bingham Unsuccessfully Attempts to Call His Mother from Flight 93

Mark Bingham, a passenger on Flight 93, tries to phone his mother from the plane but the attempted call is unsuccessful. [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/11/2001; 9/11 Commission, 5/13/2004 ] Bingham’s mother, Alice Hoglan, is currently at the home of her brother, Vaughn Hoglan, and his wife, Kathy Hoglan, in Saratoga, California, where she has been staying for the last six months, helping the couple care for their young children. [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/17/2001; San Francisco Chronicle, 9/10/2003] Bingham tries to call her using a GTE Airfone in row 25, near the back of the plane. [9/11 Commission, 5/13/2004 ; San Jose Mercury News, 9/10/2011; McMillan, 2014, pp. 122] The call is answered by Carol Phipps, a family friend who is staying with the Hoglans. Phipps picks up the phone in the kitchen, but finds there is no one on the line and so she hangs up. [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/11/2001; Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/17/2001] Information derived from a study of GTE Airfone records of calls from Flight 93 will later describe the call as having lasted five seconds. Bingham will try to call his mother again a minute later and, that time, his attempt will be successful (see (9:37 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/17/2001; 9/11 Commission, 5/13/2004 ]