Flight 93 Crash Site - It is windy with overcast skies that mirror the somber mood of those visiting the memorial site. It is a quiet rolling hill that once was a strip coal mine. The hills are gently sloping with a border of Hemlock trees. It is eerily silent.
The site volunteer lives in the small village of Shanksville, two miles away. She tells us the firemen were at the site within 10 minutes of the crash which they were alerted to as the plane was being followed on radar. A farmer and his wife who live only 1/2 mile from the site were first there. Both the farmer and his wife and later the fireman saw the black smoke billowing up to the stratosphere, but they did not see an airplane.
At impact, the plane was going 550 miles per hour and dug a crater of over 40 feet deep into the ground. There were only small unrecognizable debris in the area and later it was discovered that the debris covered an area of 9 miles.
The surrounding dirt had been removed to find whatever information could be found, and later the crater was filled in with fresh dirt and the area reseeded to grass. DNA was ultimately found for over 80% of the victims. Only a bible that belonged to Toshiya Kuge, a 12 year Japanese boy, and a backpack were found intact. Over time some belongings were found and returned to the families.
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