Todd Beamer


The last words of Todd Beamer

Todd Beamer (1968 – 2001) was a passenger on United Airlines Flight 93 when it was hijacked on September 11th 2001.

He was accorded hero status in the USA when it was discovered that he had helped organise an attempt to regain control of the plane from the hijackers. His last audible words, overhead during a phone call, were:

Are you guys ready? Let’s roll.

The transcript of an onboard conversation overheard by phone operator Lisa Jefferson after Beamer had just finished speaking to her.

Background to Todd Beamer’s last words

The facts of the hijackings on September 11th 2001 are well known. Beamer was a passenger aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which was initially bound for San Francisco. His role in the tragic events involved him making phone calls to alert ground staff and attempting to disarm the hijackers who had commandeered the plane.

He informed an airline representative that some of the plane’s passengers were planning to ‘jump on’ the hijackers and land the plane.

The outcome of the rescue attempt isn’t precisely known. Some minutes later, the plane crashed in a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

Gary Martin is a writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.