Officials in Denver this week warned residents not to fear the sight of U.S. fighter jets alongside a Boeing 777 commercial airliner above the city’s downtown on Friday morning, as the nation recognizes the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks. Reactions on social media were swift. Others called it “insensitive,” “tone deaf” and “traumatizing.” On Wednesday, United Airlines called off the event “due to concerns in the community,” according to a statement shared with The Independent.
The flight was intended as a memorial to people who died on 9/11, when al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked two of the airline’s planes. United Flight 175 crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers, while passengers on United 93 — the fourth and final plane taken over that day — fought back against the four hijackers, forcing the plane away from Washington, D.C. and into a field in Pennsylvania. Friday’s flyover — joined by F-15 jets — was going to be “brief, but potentially surprising if you aren't aware it's happening,” the city’s Office of Emergency Management announced this week.
This is a planned memorial event.” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston had also announced plans for the memorial, which was scheduled for 9:03 a.m. Friday — the exact time that United Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan. Miles Morgan, managing director of United’s Flight Training Center, said in a statement announcing the flyover that the memorial would signify “the honor, resilience and courage that carries us forward.” But Denver’s Office of Emergency Management later announced that the airline canceled the event “following concerns raised by members of the community.” “There will be no aircraft flyover associated with the memorial events on Friday, Sept. 11,” the agency said.
The airline will unveil a monument built of steel recovered from the World Trade Center to honor the United Airlines crew members aboard Flight 175 and Flight 93, according to a statement from the airline. The memorial will stand 9 feet 11 inches tall. United Flight 175 took off from Boston at 8:15 a.m. on September 11, 2001.
United Flight 93 left New Jersey roughly 30 minutes later. Five al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked United 175 and crashed it into the South Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan. Nine crew members and 51 passengers were killed.
After a struggle between a group of passengers and hijackers, United Flight 93 plunged into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing seven crew members and 33 passengers. Hijackers also crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, which collapsed within two hours of the attacks. Five hijackers also crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon, killing all 64 people on board and another 125 people in the building.
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