What happened to United Flight 23 on 9/11? Details explored ahead of TMZ Investigates: 9/11: The Fifth Plane

Based on the tragic events of 9/11, TMZ is going to present the story of how a United Flight 23, scheduled to depart from JFK Airport on September 11, 2001, could have been the fifth plane targeted by terrorists. But luck saved its fate.

TMZ took up the case and conducted six-month research into the United Flight 23 bound for Los Angeles. Three flight attendants present were interviewed along with the pilot, the United dispatcher, a member of the 9/11 Commission, and others involved to gain insight into what happened that saved the plane from the fate of its predecessors.

The story of United Flight 23 will be told in a special episode titled TMZ Investigates: 9/11: The Fifth Plane, which will air on FOX on Monday, March 20, 2023, at 9 pm ET.

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Passengers raising suspicion in the first-class cabin

TMZ created a report out of its investigations in which it claimed that the 9/11 attacks may have included a fifth plane. But the flight was denied takeoff at the last second due to a series of suspicious activities.

Four passengers in the first-class cabin aroused suspicion shortly after they boarded. One of the passengers was a man who was disguised as a woman, and the four of them told the purser, who is a first-class flight attendant, that they did not eat meat.

Since there were only 2 fruit plates in the galley, the purser wanted to get more so that the food would not fall short. But this triggered a heated argument with one of the passengers insisting,

"We do not want to eat. We don't need food. We want to take off ... We just want to go."

Moreover, the passenger was sweating despite it being a cool morning. The crew was suspicious of this behavior, but it was not the only reason the flight was denied takeoff.

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The United Flight 23 was ultimately denied takeoff

The Los Angeles-bound United Flight 23 was ultimately called off as it taxied when the first hijacked plane just crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. As soon as the news arrived, the airport was closed down, and the United 23 was returned to the gate, evacuated, and locked.

Twenty minutes later, 2 uniformed people were seen running in United 23's passenger cabin. When the authorities showed up, they opened the door and discovered the hatch, which was supposed to be closed, open. The pilot believed that the two people may have been there to remove incriminating evidence.

Moreover, it was also found that someone had put box cutters in the first-class seat pockets of the plane parked next to United 23, which was not scheduled to take off at the time. It was believed that the box cutters found there were intended to be on the United 23, but someone must have confused the two planes. Commenting on the find, pilot Tom Mannello said,

“There is a good chance that somebody was plotting to try to use our airplane as a weapon of mass destruction. If somebody was on the ground cooperating with them, they just simply made a mistake and put the box cutters on the wrong airplane."

Following the traumatizing incident, the FBI interviewed the flight attendants later that day. They were even taken to the lineup at the Port Authority to see if they could identify the 4 passengers.

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Catch the spine-chilling story of United Flight 23 this Monday on TMZ Investigates: 9/11: The Fifth Plane