Flight 93 - by Tom McMillan (Paperback)

About the Book

Now in paperback, the most complete account of what actually took place aboard Flight 93 - from its delayed takeoff in Newark to the moment it plunged upside-down at 563 miles per hour into an open field in rural Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Flight 93 provides a riveting and...

Book Synopsis

The passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001 have earned their rightful place among the pantheon of American heroes. Flight 93 provides a riveting narrative based on interviews, oral histories, transcripts, recordings, personal tours of the crash site, and voluminous trial evidence made public only in recent years. There also is plenty of chilling new detail for readers who think they know the story of the flight. Utilizing research tools that were not available in the years immediately after the crash, the book offers the most complete account of what actually took place aboard United 93 - from its delayed takeoff at Newark International Airport to the moment it plunged upside-down at 563 miles per hour into an open field in rural Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

Review Quotes

[T]he story you already know-but author Tom McMillan offers his readers so much more, starting years before 2001. McMillan gives us a true sense of the people who wereon the plane-each with, it's believed, a role to play in overcoming the terrorists. He then goes beyond that day, to the work that went into recovery and efforts on behalf of the victims' families, ending with a memorial and humble hero on the ground. . . .We know what happens, but this book takes our knowledge a little further by setting mistruths straight, filling in gaps, and telling a story that should make a lot of people proud all over again. I had a hard time tearing myself away from this narrative, and if you remember where you were on Sept. 11, 2001, I think you'll feel the same. Flight 93 is a truly fascinating book- so grab it, and buckle in. . .

[T]he author pieces together a vivid picture of the scene within the plane: the hijackers instilling fear in everyone (stabbing passengers, threatening to explode a nonexistent bomb) before killing the cockpit crew; the 40 varied passengers (from lawyers and businessmen to students and retirees), 12 of whom made 35 wrenching phone calls, learning that other planes had just slammed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon; and the brave decision to take back the plane before it destroyed yet another iconic American place.... The author recounts the post-crash heroics of coroner Wally Miller and many others in the rural farming and coal-mining community. A solid retelling of the tragedy....


In the new book Flight 93 by Tom McMillan, you'll read about bravery and what happened in the Pennsylvania skies on 9/11. . . . McMillan gives us a true sense of the people who were on the plane - each with, it's believed, a role to play in overcoming the terrorists. He then goes beyond that day, to the work that went into recovery and efforts on behalf of the victims' families ending with a memorial and a humble hero on the ground. . . .[T]his book takes our knowledge a little further by setting mistruths straight, filling in gaps and telling a story that should make a lot of people proud all over again. I had a hard time tearing myself away from this narrative, and if you remember where you were on September 11, 2001, I think you'll feel the same. Flight 93 is a truly fascinating book - so go grab it, and buckle in.

McMillan offers a complete account of what took place aboard United Airlines Flight 93, from its delayed takeoff at Newark International Airport in New Jersey to the moment it plunged upside-down at 563 mph into an open field near Shanksville in rural Somerset County. 'Flight 93' provides a riveting narrative based on interviews, oral histories, transcripts, recordings, personal tours of the crash site and trail evidence made public only in recent years.

Mr. McMillan created a compelling narrative of the plot's conception, the terrorist cell formation, pilots' training. . . .and the careful study of U.S. airline security that enabled the 19 hijackers to succeed at striking three targets, killing thousands and wounding a nation. He developed vivid portraits of the ordinary citizens on board thrust into the role of patriots as they desperately attempted to save their own lives and in doing so, spared the U.S Capitol just 20 minutes away. . . .[H]is book will help secure Flight 93's legacy and Somerset County's place in U.S. history.

About the Author

Tom McMillan has spent a lifetime in media and communications: as a newspaper sports writer, radio talk-show host, and for the past 17 years as Vice President of Communications for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. He's written on deadline, interviewed superstars, traveled the world, grilled guests on radio shows, issued official statements, developed social media strategy, counseled millionaire owners and faced withering questions from TV reporters about his organization's controversial bankruptcy case. For three years he served as the Penguins' VP of Marketing in addition to VP of Communications. Through it all, McMillan has developed a vast network of media contacts - locally, regionally, and at national outlets such as NBC, USA Today and the New York Times.
In his spare time he also serves on the board of directors of Pittsburgh's Heinz History Center, on the marketing committee of the Gettysburg Foundation, as a tour guide for the Civil War Room at Carnegie Library, as an adjunct professor of media and marketing at Point Park University and a volunteer at the Flight 93 National Memorial, where he helps to orient visitors to the crash site.
His 15-year career with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Press and San Diego Union spanned events from the Olympics to the World Series, the NBA Finals, the Final Four, the Indy 500, and Triple Crown horse races. Since that time, he has spent almost two decades in the business office of a professional team, broadening his strategic thinking.
He is wired into the Pittsburgh and regional media surrounding the Flight 93 National Memorial and has contacts nationally. He lives in Wexford, Pennsylvania.