United Airlines Flight 93 crashed on September 11, 2001, in a field near a reclaimed coal strip mine in Stonycreek Township, near Indian Lake and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Before the crash, the site was a farm field and part of an abandoned strip mine reclamation area. At the moment of the crash, the plane hit the ground at a high speed (about 563 mph) with a nose-down, inverted attitude, creating a crater 8-10 feet deep and 30-50 feet wide. The impact was so violent that the aircraft fragmented and buried much of itself into the earth, with large debris scattered around, including one engine found 2,000 feet from the main site. The crash explosion scorched the nearby hemlock grove. After the crash, the site underwent extensive investigation and recovery efforts. The terrain, originally softer due to the mining reclamation activities, made recovery challenging with responders physically searching the crash crater and surrounding wooded areas for wreckage, human remains, and evidence. A temporary memorial was erected soon after, and later a permanent Flight 93 National Memorial was constructed, featuring a visitor center and observation platform overlooking the crash site. Over time, nature has gradually healed much of the crash site area, though the memorial grounds are carefully maintained in remembrance. In summary:
- Before crash: farmland and reclaimed strip mine area with hemlock trees.
- At crash: violent impact with crater creation, fireball, and scattered debris.
- After crash: intensive recovery, investigation, and eventual construction of a national memorial with a visitor center and maintained grounds to honor the victims.