Mark Bingham (May 22, 1970 – September 11, 2001) was a gay San Franciscan who was one of four passengers on the hijacked United Flight 93 who prevented terrorists from crashing the plane in Washington, D.C., instead forcing it down in an empty Pennsylvania field.
Early Life, College, SF Fog Rugby
Mark Bingham was born on May 22, 1970 — coincidentally the 40th birthday of Harvey Milk — to Alice Hoagland, a single mother. After living in Florida and Southern California, the family relocated to San Jose in 1983. He attended U.C. Berkeley where played on the university’s national championship rugby team. He came out to his family and friends shortly after his college graduation.
He became one of the founders of the San Francisco Fog rugby team, a gay-inclusive rugby team that was the first team the west coast to specifically reach out to gays, people of color, women, and others traditionally underrepresented in rugby.
In 2001, Bingham was in the process of opening a satellite office of his public relations firm in New York City, and was in discussions with helping form the New York City team that would become the Gotham Knights.
September 11th
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Bingham nearly missed his flight, United Flight 93, which he was taking back to San Francisco. The plane’s take-off was delayed, and the first plane struck the World Trade Center’s North Tower just six minutes after Flight 93 took off, with the second plane striking the South Tower fifteen minutes after that.
Less than a half-hour later, hijackers overcame the flight crew and took over the cockpit, diverting the plane towards Washington, D.C., presumably targeting either the White House or the Capitol Building. Passengers were forced to the back of the plane, where a few were able to make calls to their loved ones.
When they learned that two other planes had been crashed into the World Trade Center (but did not yet know about the plane that would crash into the Pentagon) and realized that their plane was also likely intended to be used as a bomb, Bingham formed a plan with fellow passengers Todd Beamer, Tom Burnett, and Jeremy Glick to rush the cockpit and either retake control of the plane or prevent the hijackers from reaching their intended target, killing more victims.
According to the 9/11 Commission Report, the plane’s data recorder reveals a passenger shouting, “In the cockpit. If we don’t, we’ll die!” followed by one of the terrorists shouting, “Pull it down! Pull it down!” Data control records show that the plane’s control wheel was abruptly turned right, causing it to roll and dive into an empty field in Pennsylvania, instantly killing everyone on board but with no ground injuries or casualties.
Memorials
Mark Bingham has been honored as one of the victims of September 11th as well as one of the heroes who helped prevent additional tragedies. Senators John McCain and Barbara Boxer spoke at his funeral. U.C. Berkeley’s California Alumni Association has established the Mark Bingham Award for Excellence in Achievement in his memory.
The San Francisco Fog rugby team organized the Mark Kendall Bingham Memorial Tournament, also known as the Bingham Cup, a biannual international rugby tournament for gay and gay-inclusive rugby teams. The gymnasium at the Eureka Valley Recreation Center was renamed the Mark Bingham Gymnasium in 2002, and a plaque in his honor can be found there.
