The Iranian Pilot of United Flight 93 Might be Presented with the Congressional Medal of Honor–Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
This talks about Hossein Mahmoudi, said to be the Iranian pilot of United flight #93, which crashed in Pennsylvania on the day of the terrorist hijackings in September, 2001. He is described as having been honored by a letter from President Bush to his family. He is said to have bravely fought off the hijackers while at the same time attempting to make sure his plane did not come down in a populated area.
The Truth:
There is virtually nothing in this eRumor that is true. There is no record that we can find of a Hossein Mahmoudi among the crew or passengers on United Flight # 93. According to United Airlines, the pilot was Captain Jason Dahl; the first officer was Leroy Homer.
The Congressional Medal of Honor is not presented to civilians.
It’s odd that in the eRumor (below), he is known as “Mr. 93” on a football message board. Coincidence that this is the same number as the flight?
Also, the last report we knew of, there was not enough good information on the flight recorders to have concluded what is described about the crew’s conduct during the hijacking.