Flight 93 National Memorial

the wandering chick

...Flight 93 National Memorial

It was upon calls to loved ones that the passengers and crew of United's Flight 93 on this horrendous September day in 2001 realized that they may not make their intended arrival to San Francisco, but that they were on one of four planes hijacked by al Qaeda terrorists whose planned attack on the U.S. was being carried out.

After airborne for 46 minutes from Newark, NJ, the terrorists incapacitated the pilots and headed the plane southeast toward Washington, D.C. A vote was taken by the 33 passengers and seven crew members to overtake the four hijackers.

At 10:03 their plane crashed upside down at 563 miles per hour in a hay field in Pennsylvania's Somerset County.

The plane was 18 minutes from its intended target, Washington, D.C.

a tribute to 40 heroes

This picture and the one below were taken from the Memorial Plaza and looking toward the Visitor Center/flight path Complex.

Between the Visitor Center Complex and the Memorial Plaza is a formal walkway lined with 40 trees, one for each passenger and crew member who perished.

The memorial has two main sections: the Flight path Walkway/Visitor Center Complex and the Memorial Plaza. As one approaches the memorial, the flight path walkway is seen first. This walkway is lined with concrete slabs and follows the path of the plane just before it landed. The visitor center is located just to the left side of the walkway. At the end of the walkway is a platform overlooking the Memorial Plaza down below in the distance. The walkway and the Memorial Plaza are connected by a paved road.

A view of Memorial Plaza from the platform at the end of the flight path walkway. A covered shelter is also on the Memorial Plaza (not shown in this picture). Beyond the boulder, a Hemlock Grove was demolished by the impact. In the photo below, one can see new trees growing in place of those that were burned.

Beyond the Memorial Plaza is a 17-ton boulder that symbolizes the point of impact of the plane. The Boeing 757 was traveling at approximately 563 miles per hour when it landed upside-down in the field. The crater left was 30 feet wide and 15 feet deep.

A wall of names made of white marble is the focal point of the Memorial Plaza. It is also situated on the flight path.

You may wish to visit a couple more locations in Pennsylvania.

The Flight 93 National Memorial is located in Somerset County about 60 miles southeast of Pittsburgh and two miles north of Shanksville.

Thank you for visiting these photo pages.

If you're interested in seeing more, please return to my Main Menu at the bottom of my home page and make your selection.

All images within "thewanderingchick.com Web site are copyright protected. They may not be downloaded or otherwise copied.

Please contact me if you think a particular photo or set of photos can be used in your publication.

You might also be interested in seeing the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, VA.