WHO CRASHED FLIGHT 93?

Some think the passengers stormed the cockpit, took control of the plane and accidentally crashed it. Others think the US military actually shot it down, and the Bush administration is covering it up. It's a nonsensical allegation, as nearly everyone agrees that shooting down Flight 93 would have been prudent given its likely target, the White House, and the fact that three other planes had already hit their targets earlier that morning. According to an analysis of the cockpit voice recorders, the hijackers brought it down once the passengers rebelled.

Citing transcripts of the still-secret cockpit recordings, FBI Director Robert Mueller told congressional investigators in a closed briefing last year that, minutes before Flight 93 hit the ground, one of the hijackers "advised Jarrah to crash the plane and end the passengers' attempt to retake the airplane."

Jarrah is thought to have been the terrorist-pilot because he was the only of the four hijackers aboard known to have a pilot's license.

Mueller's description was disclosed in a brief passage far into the 858-page report to Congress. Previous statements by FBI and other government officials have been ambiguous about what occurred in the cockpit.

The same cockpit recording was played privately in April 2002 for family members of victims aboard Flight 93, and the FBI also provided them with its best effort at producing an understandable transcript.

While some relatives of the Flight 93 heroes insist the passengers actually broke into the cockpit, a point on which the FBI remains circumspect, that doesn't change the fact that one hijacker is heard ordering the terrorist pilot to crash the plane. So we have a smoking gun, at least on the question of a shoot-down--it didn't happen. One more lefty conspiracy theory put to rest.