Full Breakdown
The Planned Interception of United Flight 93: Heather “Lucky” Penney’s 9/11 Mission
9/9/2026, 7:42:21 PM
Core Event
On September 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 93 was hijacked en route to Washington, D.C. At Andrews Air Force Base, Air National Guard First Lieutenant Heather “Lucky” Penney and her flight lead, then-Lieutenant Colonel Marc Sasseville, received orders to launch F-16 fighters to stop the airliner. Because the jets were unarmed, the plan called for Sasseville to ram his aircraft into the cockpit and for Penney to strike the tail, destabilizing the plane. The mission was never carried out; the passengers stormed the cockpit, causing the aircraft to crash in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Background & Context
Combat aviation had only recently been opened to women after Congress lifted the ban in the 1990s. Penney, the first female pilot in the Washington, D.C., Air National Guard, joined the service to continue a family legacy of military aviation—her father flew A-7s in Vietnam and later captained United Airlines aircraft. The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon created the belief that additional hijacked planes might be heading for the capital, prompting the rapid scramble of available fighter assets.
Key Figures & Groups
- Heather “Lucky” Penney — Former D.C. Air National Guard pilot; later director of studies and research at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
- Marc Sasseville — Then-Lieutenant Colonel, flight lead who would have executed the cockpit-ram portion of the plan.
- Brigadier General David Wherley — Commander who relayed the order to the pilots.
- Colonel Sass — Senior officer who issued the direct command, quoted in the oral history: “You have weapons-free flight lead control. Do you understand what I’m asking you to do?”
Timeline
- Morning, September 11, 2001 – Air traffic controllers report the World Trade Center attacks and the Pentagon strike.
- Shortly thereafter – Andrews Air Force Base receives the launch order; Penney and Sasseville scramble in unarmed F-16s.
- During the flight – The pilots discuss the suicide-type plan; Penney later describes it as a “suicide mission” they did not hesitate to accept.
- Later that day – Flight 93 passengers breach the cockpit; the plane crashes in Shanksville, ending the threat before the fighters could intercept.
Official Statements & Responses
Penney has emphasized that the mission was a “suicide mission” and that “neither one of us hesitated.” She now works at the Mitchell Institute to advocate for modernized aircraft and training so that future pilots are not placed in comparable missions.
Verbatim Quote
- “You have weapons-free flight lead control. Do you understand what I’m asking you to do?” — Colonel Sass (PBS oral history)
