Wall of Names at Flight 93 National Memorial
PARK OVERVIEW
On September 11, 2001, four groups of terrorists, part of the Al-Qaeda organization headed by Osama Bin Laden, hijacked four commercial airplanes with the intent of using them as weapons to destroy symbolic targets in the United States. For the plan to work, all four airplanes would have to take off and hit their targets around the same time so that the U. S. military would not have time to mount any defense. Three of the planes departed as scheduled, and each hit its target: two flew into the World Trade Center, one into each of the two towers, and a third flew into the Pentagon.
The fourth, United Airlines Flight 93 departing from Newark, New Jersey, was delayed from taking off by about a half hour. Because of this, the passengers were able to learn about the other three planes via inflight phone calls. Realizing their fate was to be the same, they elected to rush the terrorists and seize control of the plane. This happened only about 20 minutes from Washington, D. C. (the target is believed to have been the U. S. Capitol Building). The four terrorists on board knew they were going to lose the plane and opted to fly it into the ground. At 10:03 AM, Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing all on board.
Flight 93 National Memorial was created by Congress in 2002 and is one of the very few National Parks dedicated to a current event or living person.
HOURS AND FEES
The Visitor Center and Museum for Flight 93 National Memorial is open from 9 AM to 5 PM daily, except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
The grounds of the memorial, which includes Memorial Plaza, is open daily from sunrise to sunset. Trails are not maintained in the winter and are therefore closed due to snow.
Times can always change, so before making travel plans be sure to check the official Flight 93 National Memorial’s Operating Hours and Seasons web page for the latest schedule.
FEES
There is no fee to enter Flight 93 National Memorial.
SCHEDULING YOUR VISIT
Visitor Center and Flight 93 Museum
allow 1 hours
Memorial Plaza and Wall of Names
allow 1 hour (2 hours if walking from the Visitor Center)
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Last updated on October 2, 2021
