FBI Continues to Withhold Full Flight 93 Audio Recordings 24 Years After 9/11

Twenty-four years after the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the full audio recordings from United Airlines Flight 93 remain unreleased by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). This week marks the approximate anniversary of the FBI's initial release of "transcripts" from the final calls, a point highlighted by Bruce Fenton on social media. The prolonged secrecy surrounding the audio, coupled with questions about 9/11-era mobile phone capabilities, continues to draw public attention.

United Airlines Flight 93, one of four planes hijacked during the 9/11 attacks, crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew heroically fought back against the terrorists. Their actions are widely credited with preventing the plane from reaching its intended target, believed to be the U.S. Capitol or the White House. Iconic phrases like "Let's roll," attributed to passenger Todd Beamer, emerged from the phone calls made during the hijacking.

While the FBI released transcripts of the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and passenger phone calls in April 2006, the actual audio recordings have never been made public. Families of the victims were permitted to listen to the CVR audio in a closed session on April 18, 2002. According to the National Park Service, the audio is sealed because it is part of an "active and ongoing investigation."

The primary reason cited by authorities for withholding the audio is its potential use as evidence in ongoing legal proceedings, specifically the trial of alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. This trial, which has faced numerous delays, continues in its pre-trial phase at Guantanamo Bay. Critics argue that after more than two decades, the full release of the audio is overdue, but legal and evidentiary considerations persist.

The tweet also raised a common point of contention, stating: > "Mobile phone tech still doesn’t work in the air today." During the 9/11 attacks, passengers and crew on Flight 93 and other hijacked planes used both seat-back airphones and early-generation mobile phones to communicate with the ground. While modern in-flight Wi-Fi and cellular services are now available, the ability of 2001-era cell phones to maintain consistent connections at cruising altitudes was limited, often relying on the plane being at lower altitudes or passing over cellular towers.