Flight 93 Tapes May Be Heard in Court
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Audiotapes of the final minutes of United Airlines Flight 93 can be played in a courtroom when the first of the lawsuits brought by the victims’ families is heard in federal court later this month, a federal judge ruled yesterday.
U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled that a jury can hear the final four minutes of the tape, when passengers are heard trying to break into the cockpit and retake the plane, and an earlier recording of the hijackers possibly announcing to passengers that they have a bomb on board.
Judge Hellerstein, who is presiding over the suits filed following the September 11, 2001, attacks, eliminated other parts of the tape that he said are not relevant to the case.