It is a heavy subject. When you look up flight 175 passengers photos, you aren't just looking for data points or historical records; you're looking for the people. You're looking for the 65 souls—passengers, crew, and even those who shouldn't have been there—who were on United Airlines Flight 175 on that Tuesday morning in 2001.
Twenty-five years later, the digital trail of these individuals remains a vital part of how we remember the tragedy. It's about humanizing the numbers. We often talk about the "planes" or the "towers," but the faces are what actually break your heart.
The People Behind the Names
Every person on that Boeing 767 had a life that was mid-sentence. Garnet "Ace" Bailey was a scout for the Los Angeles Kings. He'd won seven Stanley Cups. You can find photos of him with a wide, hockey-player grin. Then there was Christine Hanson. She was only two years old. She is the youngest victim of the September 11 attacks. When you see her photo—usually a bright-eyed toddler with a shy smile—it grounds the entire geopolitical event into a singular, devastating reality.
People search for these photos because they want to connect. We have a psychological need to witness the humanity of those lost. It’s one thing to read a list of names on a bronze parapet at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum; it’s another thing entirely to see Peter Hanson, Christine’s father, or her mother, Sue Kim Hanson.
The Hansons were going to Disneyland. That’s why they were on the plane. Knowing that detail makes the flight 175 passengers photos feel less like historical artifacts and more like family albums.
Where the Records Actually Live
If you’re looking for the most comprehensive and respectful archives, you have to go to the official sources. The internet is a messy place, and unfortunately, many low-quality sites scrape this data.
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum website is the gold standard. They’ve spent decades verifying images with families. Their "Memorial Guide" allows you to search by name or flight. They don't just show a thumbnail; they often include bios written by loved ones. Honestly, it’s the only place where the context matches the gravity of the image.
Another massive repository is Voices Center for Resilience (formerly Voices of September 11th). They’ve worked extensively to create "Living Memorials." This isn't just a headshot. It’s a collection of stories, hobbies, and personal snapshots. You might see a photo of a passenger at a wedding or hiking, which tells a much more complete story than a driver’s license scan.
The Crew of United 175
We can’t talk about the passengers without the crew. Captain Victor Saracini and First Officer Michael Horrocks were at the controls. There are nine crew members in total. Their photos often show them in uniform, professional and prepared.
Flight attendants like Amy Jarret or Robert Fangman—who actually managed to call United's maintenance office to report the hijacking—are heroes in the truest sense. Seeing their faces reminds us that they were working. They were doing their jobs until the very last second.
Why Some Photos are Harder to Find
You might notice that not every passenger has a high-quality photo available online. Why? Privacy and family wishes.
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Some families chose to grieve privately. In 2001, we didn't live in the "upload everything to Instagram" era. Digital photography was in its infancy. Many families had to dig through physical shoeboxes to find a clear picture for the news or the Red Cross. In some cases, the only available image might be a grainier scan from a passport or a company ID badge.
There's also the "Wall of Faces" at the Pentagon Memorial and the North/South Pool arrangements. The way the names are grouped—"meaningful adjacencies"—often reflects who was sitting together or who was friends. This carries over into how photos are displayed in documentaries and digital galleries.
The Misconceptions About "Final Photos"
There’s a bit of a "true crime" or "morbid curiosity" side to the internet that looks for photos taken inside the cabin during the flight. Let’s be clear: they don't exist.
While there were phone calls made from Airfones—like Brian Sweeney’s heartbreaking message to his wife, Julie—there were no camera phones in 2001. Any "photo" you see claiming to be from the cabin of Flight 175 during the hijacking is fake. Period.
The last real images of the passengers are generally security camera footage from Logan International Airport in Boston. These clips show some of the passengers (and the hijackers) passing through security checkpoints. They are chilling because of their mundanity. People are just taking off their belts, carrying bags, looking at their watches.
Understanding the Hijackers' Images
When people search for flight 175 passengers photos, they occasionally stumble upon the five hijackers. It’s a jarring contrast.
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The FBI released these photos early in the investigation. Marwan al-Shehhi was the pilot-hijacker for this specific flight. Comparing the photos of the victims—people like the young Touri Hamzavi or the retired Dorothy de Araujo—against the mugshot-style photos of the hijackers is a stark reminder of the senselessness of the act. Most reputable memorials, however, keep these images strictly separate to maintain the sanctity of the victims' space.
The Evolution of Digital Memorials
How we look at these photos has changed over 25 years. In 2002, you’d see them on grainy TV specials. Now, they are part of a massive, searchable digital legacy.
Social media has allowed families to post "new" old photos on anniversaries. You might see a Facebook post from a niece or nephew showing a passenger at a 4th of July BBQ in 1999. These "unofficial" photos are actually quite beautiful because they show the passengers as they were in life, not just as victims of a tragedy.
The sheer volume of information can be overwhelming. But it’s important. It prevents these individuals from becoming just a statistic. Every time someone looks at a photo of Kelly Booms or Ronald Gamboa, their memory stays active.
Fact-Checking and Authenticity
When navigating this topic, you have to be careful about where you click. Avoid "tribute" sites that are covered in pop-up ads or those that try to sensationalize the crash.
- Stick to Institutional Archives: The 9/11 Memorial Museum and the Library of Congress have the most verified collections.
- Respect the Context: These are real people. Treat the images with the same respect you'd want for a family member.
- Cross-Reference Names: If a photo looks suspicious or "too modern," it probably is. Use the 9/11 Memorial’s name database to verify.
Actionable Steps for Researching and Honoring
If you are looking for specific photos for a school project, a memorial, or personal research, follow these steps:
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- Visit the 9/11 Memorial Registry: This is the most accurate database. You can search by "United 175" to see the full list of victims associated with that flight.
- Search Local News Archives: Many passengers were from the Massachusetts or New England area. The Boston Globe and New York Times have extensive, archived profiles of every victim (often called "Portraits of Grief") that usually include a verified photo and a short story about their life.
- Support the Voices Center: If you find value in these archives, consider supporting the organizations that maintain them. They do the hard work of preserving digital legacies so future generations don't forget.
- Verify the Source: Before sharing a photo on social media for an anniversary, ensure it is actually a passenger from Flight 175. Occasionally, photos of victims from Flight 11 (the first plane) are mislabeled.
The act of looking at these faces is an act of remembrance. It’s a way to ensure that the story of September 11 remains a story about people, families, and lives interrupted, rather than just a date in a history book. By focusing on the individuals—the businessman, the student, the flight attendant, the grandmother—we keep the human element of history alive.
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