“This guy's dropping like a manhole cover now, Paul.”
Por qué es buena
A manhole cover is heavy and drops straight down; the simile does all the work.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
The temperature is dropping like a stone tonight.
00:00 / 02:58
00:00 / 02:58
Second Plane Hits the South Tower, Explained
United 93 · 2006
Capítulo 9 de 17 · 2'58"
Controllers watch an unidentified plane dive toward New York and crash into a building, live on their screens: "The building's exploding right now! You got people running up the street!" The same moment is cut against United 93, where flight attendants are still taking drink orders, and the gap between the two cabins is the scene.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:02–1:23
The Second Plane Hits the Tower
81s - 2:29–2:56
Coffee or Juice Aboard United 93
27s
Second Plane Hits the South Tower, explained
What happens
On the radar screens, a plane that will not answer descends toward New York, and the controllers lose it, regain it, and watch it strike a building. They report a major incident over New York and confirm another hijacking. The scene cuts to United 93, where attendants pour coffee and take orders as if nothing has happened.
What's really going on
The scene is built on the distance between a screen and what the screen means. The controllers are professionals doing their job, and their language stays technical even as the horror arrives - a target, a primary, a major incident. Then the second plane turns and hits, and the same people who calmly tracked it start shouting: "The building's exploding right now! You got people running up the street!" What makes the sequence almost unbearable is the cut to United 93, where attendants are still asking about coffee and juice. The film refuses to underline the connection. It simply places the two realities side by side, so that the ordinary courtesy of a drink service is happening at the exact moment another plane is killing hundreds of people, and the audience has to hold both at once.
Key lines & what they mean
- “This guy's dropping like a manhole cover now, Paul.”
- A controller's vivid comparison for the plane's plunge: it is dropping almost vertically, straight down like a falling manhole cover.
- “This guy is going straight down into the ground, I'm telling you.”
- A repeated warning that the aircraft is diving straight into the ground - the controller is certain and wants everyone else to act on it.
- “The building's exploding right now! You got people running up the street!”
- The reaction to the impact: the building is exploding live on screen and people are running in the streets below.
- “I don't know what the hell is going on.”
- Plain confusion from someone watching events unfold - a confession that the situation no longer makes sense.
- “Be advised there's a major incident over New York right now.”
- A formal broadcast alert telling every station that a major incident has just happened over New York.
- “Yeah, it's like football with no padding. Here you go, sir.”
- A flight attendant's line about the bumpy ride on a small plane, then handing a passenger a drink - an ordinary service moment.
Theme
- Death & grief — People watch a plane hit a building in real time, and the loss begins before anyone can name it.
- Duty — Controllers keep reporting and the flight crew keeps serving, each holding to their job as the world changes.
Qué aprendes en este capítulo
Puntos de enseñanza
Repasa justo después de verMi nivel1/7
A1–C2 es la escala MCER. Las tarjetas por encima del nivel elegido se atenúan y la reproducción no se pausa en ellas.
Puntos de lengua
Toca una tarjeta para saltar a ese momentoFrases de oro
Una gran frase en sí misma: por qué y cómo usarla“This guy is going straight down into the ground, I'm telling you.”
Por qué es buena
A flat prediction repeated with I'm telling you, as if saying it again could stop it.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
This project is going straight into the ground, I'm telling you.
“The building's exploding right now! You got people running up the street!”
Por qué es buena
Two exclamations in a row carry what the eyes see straight down the phone line.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
The warehouse is on fire right now! You got people running out the gate!
“I don't know what the hell is going on.”
Por qué es buena
A plain sentence about confusion turns into feeling once what the hell lands in it.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
I don't know what the hell is wrong with this printer.
“Be advised there's a major incident over New York right now.”
Por qué es buena
The flattest official phrasing delivers the biggest news, which makes it colder.
Registro
Formal
Úsala tú
Be advised there's a major delay on the north line.
“Yeah, it's like football with no padding. Here you go, sir.”
Por qué es buena
A wry simile about a rough ride, delivered with perfect service manners, cuts deep.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
That hike was like football with no padding.
Siguiente · 10ground stopLa escena: NORAD Orders a National Ground StopIdeas clave
Lo que te llevas- A heavy simile makes the plunge impossible to miss.
- Formal radio English can sound colder than a shout.
- Cabin small talk cuts against the disaster.
- Curses here mark raw shock, not casual talk.
Preguntas frecuentes
La pregunta, luego la fraseWhat happens in this scene?
Controllers watch a plane dive toward New York, lose and reacquire it, and see it hit a building. They report a major incident and confirm another hijacking, while the film cuts to ordinary drink service aboard United 93.
Why do the controllers keep losing the target?
The plane stops responding and drops fast, sometimes falling below radar coverage. Controllers can only see it as a primary return, not as an identified flight, so the track keeps appearing and vanishing.
What does 'be advised' mean?
It is formal radio and military phrasing used to introduce important information, roughly 'please note this.' Here a controller uses it to announce that a major incident has just occurred over New York.
What is happening aboard United 93 while the second plane hits?
The flight attendants are taking drink orders and serving coffee and juice, apparently unaware of the attacks. The calm service is shown at the same time as the crash, which makes the contrast pointed.
Why do the controllers call for Otis aircraft over Manhattan?
Once they confirm a major incident and another hijacking, they want military fighters above New York as quickly as possible. The order sends the Otis jets toward Manhattan and puts the weapons station on alert.