Rounding off their case, the prosecutors figuratively placed the jury aboard the flight for its last heart-wrenching moments, using a computerised simulation of the plane's flight path based on information from the flight data recorder. Hamilton Peterson, whose parents were on Flight 93, earlier heard an enhanced audio version that was played for family members only. He believes the recording provides evidence that passengers attacked and killed a hijacker guarding the cockpit door. The audio played in the courtroom made it impossible to confirm that interpretation. The September 11 Commission concluded there was a struggle for control, but reached no conclusion about whether passengers killed a hijacker.
Much of what was heard was open to interpretation. In the last minute, voices could be heard in English saying "push up" and "pull down," as flight data showed the steering yoke moving wildly. Some interpreted that as a struggle for control in the cockpit between passengers and hijackers. For more than four minutes before that, the hijackers had been swinging the plane wildly in an effort to throw the rebelling passengers off balance. At 10 a.m., a hijacker asks in Arabic: "Shall we finish it off?" The response come back: "No, not yet."
Then a voice is heard in English: "In the cockpit! If we don't, we die!"
At 10:01 a.m., a hijacker asks again: "Shall we put it down? The response: "Yes, put it down."
At 10:03 a.m., the recording ends, and the simulation shows the plane flying nose down, then rolling over belly up and hitting the ground nose first.
The government later on Wednesday rested its case after Leoni Brinkema, the judge, rejected prosecutors' request to display a running presentation of the names and photos of all of the nearly 3000 victims of September 11. Prosecutors were instead allowed to show one large poster with the pictures of all but 92 of the victims, and the three victim-impact witnesses gave testimony following the playing of the Flight 93 tape. The judge sent the jury home for the day.
Just after that, Moussaoui shouted, "God curse you all!"