Full Breakdown
The Unlaunched Suicide Mission: Air Guard Pilots’ Plan to Stop United Flight 93
9/9/2026, 9:12:56 AM
Background & Context
On September 11, 2001, the United States experienced coordinated terrorist attacks that struck the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and hijacked four commercial airliners. After the first two towers collapsed, military officials feared additional hijacked aircraft might target Washington, D.C. At that time, Congress had recently opened combat aviation to women, allowing the first female pilots to serve in the District of Columbia Air National Guard.
Key Figures
- Heather “Lucky” Penney – former D.C. Air National Guard pilot, the first woman to fly for the unit.
- Lieutenant Colonel Marc Sasseville – Penney’s flight lead, also a guard pilot.
- Brigadier General David Wherley – commander who authorized the intercept mission.
- Colonel Sass – the officer who issued the final launch order.
Core Event
When the second aircraft struck the World Trade Center, the guard’s alert center received word that a third plane might be heading toward the capital. Brigadier General Wherley ordered Penney and Sasseville to scramble. Their F-16s were on the flight line but had not yet received weapons; missiles were still en route. Consequently, the only viable option was to ram the hijacked airliner.
Penney described the plan: Sasseville would strike the cockpit to destroy the flight controls, while she would hit the tail to destabilize the aircraft and force it into the ground. Both pilots understood that the maneuver would be a suicide mission. The pair never launched because the aircraft they intended to intercept—United Airlines Flight 93—crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers stormed the cockpit.
Data & Statistics
- United Flight 93 carried 40 passengers and crew members — the individuals who fought the hijackers and caused the plane to crash before reaching its presumed target. (The Daily American reports this figure.)
Official Statements & Responses
Penney has repeatedly emphasized that she and Sasseville did not hesitate when ordered to intercept. She also noted that the mission failed because the system was unprepared: the F-16s lacked weapons and the launch was delayed.
She now serves as director of studies and research at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, where she advocates for modernizing the Air Force inventory and ensuring that future pilots are not placed in similar untenable situations.
Verbatim Quotes
- “You have weapons-free flight lead control. Do you understand what I'm asking you to do?” — Colonel Sass
These elements illustrate how a split-second decision by two guard pilots could have altered the outcome of the September 11 attacks, and how the episode continues to shape discussions about air-defense readiness and the human cost of national security decisions.
