Remembering gay rugby player and 9/11 hero Mark Bingham

On the 17th anniversary of 9/11, we remember Mark Bingham, one of the fallen heroes of the tragedy that befell the US on September 11, 2001.

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Bingham, who was aged 31, was one of the passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93, a hijacked plane that terrorists intended to crash into a Washington, D.C. landmark.



Instead, thanks to Bingham and other passengers—including Todd Beamer, Tom Burnett and Jeremy Glick—the plan was thwarted and the plane crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

All the 44 passengers died, but Bingham’s efforts meant that thousands of lives were saved.

What happened?

Bingham, a gay rugby fan and sportsman, was a passenger on Flight 93.

He is widely credited with helping prevent further deaths when he helped lead a passenger revolt against hijackers who had seized control of the plane and begun to direct it towards a target in Washington DC.

Rushing the cockpit and risking their own lives, the passengers successfully overthrew the hijackers and managed to bring down the plane in a field.

All 44 people lost their lives aboard Flight 93, but their actions likely saved hundreds more—and Bingham is remembered as one of the many heroes of 9/11.