United 93

Question: Military personnel at NEADS twice describe American Airlines Flight 11 as a Boeing 757, despite the fact that it was actually a 767. Is this a mistake made by the film or was this miscommunication that occurred in real life? (00:23:09 - 00:24:58)

Question: In the beginning of the movie, why were the hijackers shaving their chests and genital areas? Is this some kind of religious ritual?

Answer: Muslims are supposed to remove their pubic and armpit hair at least every 40 days. It is part of being clean and they would want to be as clean as possible while committing an act on behalf of their religion.

Myridon

Question: How exactly did Ben Sliney determine from watching the CNN report that the plane had struck the North Tower from the west, based on the position of the sun? Seems a bit of a reach given that there were huge, gaping holes on all 4 sides of the building, and theoretically, any one of those could've been the point of entry for the plane. (00:38:23)

Answer: The hole where the plane went into the building is shaped very specifically where you can see the outline of the wings, the middle of the plane, not to mention its size. The holes on the other side of the building did not have this same outline. It wouldn't be difficult to determine that was the point of entry. Not to mention the CNN report focused very heavily on the point of entry hole on the north tower and hardly focused on the other sides because of it until the 2nd tower got hit. They were very clear in the report where the hole was where it got hit. Wasn't difficult to determine with both witness reports coming in fast and the shape of the outline.

Question: How come the terrorists' knives were not noticed? Airports have metal detectors designed to detect knives.

Answer: At the time of the 9/11 incident, certain type utility or pocket knives like the ones the terrorists brought on board were not illegal. Airport screeners had more leeway then about what type of knives, tools, or other gadgets they allowed passengers to carry on board. Since then, the restrictions are far more stringent.

raywest

I can attest to this as my father traveled on aircraft with his pocket knife multiple times before 9/11. As long as it was under a few inches; it was more viewed as a tool than a threat to the aircraft.

Question: I know this has nothing to do with movie's plot, but I'm going to ask it anyway. How did the hijackers know that destroying the twin towers would affect the US economy?

Answer: The World Trade Center, otherwise known as the "twin towers, " housed many corporate headquarters, media outlets, and financial institutions, both domestic and international. A comprehensive list of the World Trade Center tenants can be found at: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/trade.center/tenants1.html. The hijackers knew that the attack, if successful, would strike at the heart of national and international commerce, thus affecting the US economy.

Michael Albert

Question: In the beginning they say that they are going to be 15 minutes late, but they will make it up because of tailwinds. I thought you only got "good" tailwind when flying from West to East with the Jetstream?

Answer: That is true for the global jet stream but usually at the higher altitudes. Otherwise, continental or local weather systems can produce tail or headwinds in any direction. Pilots receive information on "winds aloft" as part of their weather briefing, and it is quite possible that the weather system that day could produce tail winds. More likely, the pilot would request a higher airspeed from air traffic control to make the on-time arrival.

Continuity mistake: After the hijackers have taken over the plane, the blond flight attendant's hair, styled in a French Twist, keeps changing from messy (presumably from the chaos) to as smooth and neat as when she boarded the plane. She's never offscreen long enough to have simply fixed it. Not until the passengers revolt does it remain disheveled.

More mistakes in United 93

Honor Elizabeth Wainio: Hi, Mom, it's me. I'm on the plane that's been hijacked. I'm just calling to tell you that I love you, and goodbye. This really kind woman handed me the phone and she said to call you.

More quotes from United 93

Trivia: Families of the 40 passengers and crew members killed on United Flight 93 cooperated in the production, offering Greengrass detailed background about their loved ones, down to the clothes they wore, what reading materials or music they had with them and what sort of candy they might have snacked on aboard the plane.

More trivia for United 93

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