9:37 a.m. September 11, 2001: Passenger Mark Bingham Calls His Mother from Flight 93 and Tells Her about the Hijacking

Mark Bingham, a passenger on Flight 93, calls his mother from the plane and tells her his flight has been taken over by three men who say they have a bomb. [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/11/2001; 9/11 Commission, 8/26/2004, pp. 41, 99] 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 to help the couple care for their young children. [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/11/2001; Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/17/2001; San Francisco Chronicle, 9/10/2003] Bingham calls 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]
Family Friend Answers the Call – The call is answered on the phone in the kitchen by Carol Phipps, a family friend who is staying with the Hoglans. “Get Alice or Kathy quickly,” Bingham says. “Is this Lee?” Phipps asks, referring to one of Bingham’s uncles. “No, get Alice or Kathy quickly,” he replies. [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/11/2001; Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/17/2001; Barrett, 2002, pp. 156] Phipps runs down the hallway and fetches Kathy Hoglan from her bedroom. Kathy Hoglan goes to the kitchen and takes over the call. [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/17/2001; Longman, 2002, pp. 129] As she is running to the phone, she looks at the clock and sees the time is 6:44 a.m. Pacific Time, which is 9:44 Eastern Time. [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/11/2001] However, according to information later derived from a study of GTE Airfone records of calls from Flight 93, the call is made seven minutes before this, at 9:37 a.m. [9/11 Commission, 5/13/2004 ]
Bingham Tells His Aunt His Plane Has Been Hijacked – Kathy Hoglan recognizes her nephew’s voice when Bingham starts talking. [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/11/2001] He says: “This is Mark. I just want to tell you I’m on a plane and it’s being hijacked.” Kathy Hoglan gets a piece of paper and asks him what flight he is on. “United Flight 93,” he says. [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/17/2001] Kathy Hoglan writes this down. [Longman, 2002, pp. 130] “I want to let you guys know that I love you, in case I don’t see you again,” Bingham continues. “We love you too,” Kathy Hoglan says. She tells her nephew to stay on the line and that she is going to get his mother. She heads down the hall and bumps into her sister-in-law, who heard the phone ringing and then came out of her bedroom. She lets Alice Hoglan know what is happening. “Alice, come talk to Mark; he’s been hijacked,” she says. She then gives Bingham’s mother the phone and the piece of paper, which has “United” and “Flight 93” written on it.
Bingham Says Three Men Have Taken Over His Plane – After Alice Hoglan takes the phone, she recognizes the voice of her son on the line. He begins by telling her, “Hello Mom, this is Mark Bingham.” [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/11/2001; Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/17/2001; Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/17/2001; Barrett, 2002, pp. 156] Alice Hoglan finds it strange that he has used his full name to introduce himself. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 10/28/2001] “He was so flustered, I guess, giving me his last name,” she will later comment. [ABC, 9/11/2001] “I remember being amused that he used his last name,” she will say. [San Francisco Chronicle, 9/10/2003] Bingham then says: “I want to let you know I love you. I love you all.” Alice Hoglan tells him she loves him too. [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/17/2001] “I’m flying from Newark to San Francisco,” Bingham continues and then says: “I’m calling from the Airfone. The plane has been taken over by three guys. They say they have a bomb.” [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/11/2001] (However, there are actually four hijackers, not three, on his plane. [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 456] )
Bingham Apparently Speaks to Another Passenger – Alice Hoglan asks her son, “Who are these guys?” [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/11/2001] Bingham does not answer and his mother wonders if he didn’t hear her question. There is an interruption for about five seconds and then he says: “You’ve got to believe me. It’s true.” “I do believe you Mark,” Alice Hoglan says and then she asks again, “Who are they?” There is another pause lasting about five seconds. Alice Hoglan can hear activity and voices in the background. She gets the impression that her son is distracted because someone is talking to him. The line then goes dead. [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/17/2001]
Bingham’s Call Lasts Almost Three Minutes – The call lasts two minutes 46 seconds before breaking off. [9/11 Commission, 5/13/2004 ] Alice Hoglan will estimate that her son spends about 90 seconds of it with Phipps, including the time it takes Phipps to get Kathy Hoglan on the line; about 30 seconds with Kathy Hoglan; and about a minute with her. She will describe him as sounding “calm, controlled, matter-of-fact, and focused” during their conversation (see (9:37 a.m.-10:03 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/17/2001] Bingham will subsequently make two more attempts at calling his mother, but without success (see 9:41 a.m. September 11, 2001). [9/11 Commission, 5/13/2004 ] Alice Hoglan will call 9-1-1 to report what has happened and be put through to the FBI (see (Between 9:41 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/17/2001] She will also try calling her son on his cell phone and leave two messages for him on his voicemail. [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/11/2001; Barrett, 2002, pp. 157-158]