Mark Bingham: Hero of Flight 93

Mark Kendall Bingham (May 22, 1970 – September 11, 2001) was an American public relations executive who founded the Bingham Group. He was a passenger on United Airlines Flight 93 during the September 11 attacks and was among those who attempted to retake the plane from hijackers, an act that prevented the aircraft from reaching its intended target in Washington, D.C.

Early Life and Education

Bingham was born on May 22, 1970, the only child of Alice Hoagland and Gerald Bingham. His parents divorced when he was two years old, and he was raised by his mother and her family in Miami, Florida, and Southern California before the family moved to the San Jose area in 1983. As a teenager, he used a video camera as a personal diary to document his life and those around him, pursuing an interest in filmmaking.

He graduated from Los Gatos High School in 1988, where he served as a two-year captain of the rugby team. At the University of California, Berkeley, Bingham played on two of Coach Jack Clark’s national-championship-winning rugby teams in the early 1990s and joined Chi Psi fraternity, eventually becoming its president. Upon graduation at age 21, he came out as gay to his family and friends.

Career and Achievements

Standing 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 225 pounds, Bingham built a career in public relations and founded his own firm, the Bingham Group. He also played rugby for the San Francisco Fog RFC, a gay-inclusive rugby union team, where he played the No. 8 position in their first matches and taught teammates his favorite rugby songs. At the time of his death, Bingham had recently opened a satellite office of his public relations firm in New York City and was planning to help form a New York City rugby team called the Gotham Knights with his friend Scott Glaessgen.

Notable Events and Milestones

On September 11, 2001, Bingham overslept and nearly missed his flight from Newark International Airport to San Francisco, where he was to be an usher in his fraternity brother’s wedding. He arrived at Terminal A at 7:40 am and was the last passenger to board United Airlines Flight 93, taking seat 4D next to Tom Burnett. The flight departed 42 minutes late due to runway traffic delays.

After the hijackers, led by Lebanese national Ziad Jarrah, took control of the plane at 9:28 am, passengers learned from phone calls to loved ones about the attacks on the World Trade Center. Bingham called his aunt’s home in California and said, “This is Mark Bingham. I want to let you guys know that I love you, in case I don’t see you again…I’m on United Airlines, Flight 93. It’s being hijacked.” His mother, Alice Hoagland, called him back and left messages urging him to overpower the hijackers.

Bingham, along with Todd Beamer, Tom Burnett, and Jeremy Glick—all tall, well-built men—formed a plan to retake the plane. They were joined by other passengers and flight attendants in voting to storm the cockpit. According to the 9/11 Commission Report, the cockpit voice recorder captured pounding and crashing against the cockpit door, with passengers shouting “Let’s get them!” as the hijacker Jarrah repeatedly pitched the plane to throw them off their feet. At 10:02 am, the aircraft crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, preventing the hijackers from reaching their intended target, believed to be either the U.S. Capitol Building or the White House.

Awards and Honors

Bingham’s actions on United Flight 93, combined with his athletic physique, prompted a reassessment of gay stereotypes in American culture. His efforts that day are remembered as part of the collective heroism of Flight 93’s passengers and crew.

Additional Resources

Mark Bingham’s story remains documented in the 9/11 Commission Report and numerous historical accounts of the September 11 attacks. Readers seeking more detailed information about his life, his role on Flight 93, and the broader context of that day can find comprehensive biographical material through Wikipedia and other historical archives dedicated to the events of September 11, 2001.

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