Shanksville

September 11 attacks: United Airlines flight 93 memorial

September 11 attacks: United Airlines flight 93

Shanksville, borough, Somerset county, southwestern Pennsylvania. It lies on the Stonycreek River in the Laurel Highlands of the Allegheny Mountains about 17 miles (27 km) south of Johnstown. It is best known for its proximity to the site of the crash of United Airlines flight 93, one of the planes hijacked as part of the September 11 attacks in 2001. Seven crew members and 33 passengers of flight 93 were killed as they resisted the terrorist hijackers, who crashed the plane in a field rather than lose control of it. Forced to the rear of the plane, the crew and passengers had used Airfones and cell phones to report the hijacking and, in the process, learned of the broader terrorist attack. They then collectively decided to fight back, and this act of heroism prevented the terrorists from reaching their objective, believed to have been the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., just 20 minutes away by flight. The crew and passengers are commemorated by the Flight 93 National Memorial near the crash site. The first stage of the memorial—a walkway and wall displaying the victims’ names—was opened in 2011, on the 10th anniversary of the crash. In 2015 new elements were added to the memorial, including a museum and a visitors’ centre.

Shanksville was named for Christian Shank, the German immigrant who founded the village in 1798. The surrounding area has long been a centre of coal mining, and strip mining continues to be important to the local economy. Recreational opportunities are provided by nearby Lake Stonycreek and Indian Lake. Shanksville was incorporated as a borough in 1913. Pop. (2000) 245; (2010) 237.