Flags hang on a fence overlooking the crash site of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pa.
On Sept. 11, 2001, Dave Berkebile watched on television as the Twin Towers fell. Then he felt his house shake — in Pennsylvania.
It was the impact of United Airlines Flight 93 that crashed miles away. Berkebile recorded the scene of smoke billowing from the site. “This is the remains of an airplane crash over on Lambertsville Road,” he reported as he filmed. “Probably a terrorist bomb on board that blew up.”
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His voice is calm and his words precise as he narrates what he thinks happened, noting small details such as the exact time and that he learned about the crash through a police scanner.
Berkebile died this year, and his widow donated the video to a collection of oral history for the National Park Service. While the clip reveals nothing new, it is believed to be the earliest footage of the crash in Shanksville, Pa. — and serves as a new reminder of the awe felt throughout the country on 9/11.