Relatives of Flight 93 victims will hear cockpit recordings

Relatives of the 40 passengers and crew killed aboard United Flight 93 will be allowed to listen to the recordings of what went on in the cockpit Sept. 11 when some passengers apparently rushed the hijackers, the FBI says.

The highly unusual decision was approved by FBI Director Robert Mueller, an FBI official speaking on condition of anonymity said Monday.

The jetliner crashed in the Pennsylvania countryside after some passengers apparently fought back with the cry, "Let's roll!"

The FBI official said that families of the crash victims will be allowed to listen to the audio recordings in a single, private session in Princeton, N.J., on April 18. The San Francisco Chronicle first reported the FBI's offer over the weekend.

'I need to hear it'

"I don't know what I'm going to hear, but I need to hear it," said Patrick Welsh, whose 49-year-old wife, Deborah, was the lead flight attendant on board.

"It's going to be a horrific thing to listen to. In some ways, it may appear almost masochistic, after what all of us have been through. But you're trying to find a truth, trying to get some more information about the events."

He said he believes his wife died trying to keep the hijackers out of the cockpit. A United representative has told him she was stabbed, he said.

"I know she went down scratching and tearing and screaming," Welsh said. "She went down resisting, and it cost her her life.

Passengers took action

The jet crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pa., after setting out from Newark, N.J., for San Francisco. It had turned mid-flight and apparently was headed toward Washington when it went down with four hijackers aboard.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates aviation accidents, has never allowed relatives to listen to cockpit tapes, spokesman Ted Lopatkiewicz said.

Under federal law, the safety board cannot release the tapes and can only give out transcripts during a public hearing or when a majority of factual reports on the crash are completed, Lopatkiewicz said.

Welsh lauded the government's decision, saying it balanced family members' right to know with privacy considerations.

"They did the correct thing. I think they realized this is something they couldn't suppress, but didn't have to make into public knowledge," said Welsh, who was told counselors will be on hand at the event.

Armand Talignani, 77, of New York City, who lost his brother, John, on the flight, said he has no interest in hearing the recordings.

"It's all over with, they ought to leave it alone," he said. "Will it make someone feel better to hear some Arab guy talking? We've already been through the pain and sorrow. Why prolong it? For what?"

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EDITOR'S NOTE -- Associated Press writer Ted Bridis in Washington also contributed to this report.