The mayor of
Shanksville,
Ernest R. Stule
, did not say there was no plane crash. This misconception stems from a specific quote from a
2002 BBC interview that has been frequently taken out of context by conspiracy theorists.
The Quote in Context
In the interview, Mayor Stull was describing the immediate aftermath of the crash:
- What he said: "There was no plane."
- What he meant: He was referring to the fact that there was no intact airplane visible at the site. Because United Flight 93 hit the ground at over 560 mph, the aircraft largely disintegrated upon impact, leaving only a large crater and small fragments of wreckage.
Mayor Stull's Official Stance
Far from denying the event, Mayor Stull was a vocal supporter of the victims and the memorial.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- First Responder: He was among the first on the scene and later stated that if the plane hadn't crashed where it did, it would have surely hit a major target in Washington, D.C..
- Memorial Ambassador: He and his wife served as volunteer ambassadors at the temporary Flight 93 memorial for years, frequently sharing the story of the passengers' heroism with visitors.
- Public Recognition: In the same BBC interview, he explicitly honored the victims, stating, "Shanksville honors the Heroes of Flight 93".
Reading Eagle +2
Multiple first responders and local residents have similarly described the initial shock of seeing a smoking crater with no large, recognizable pieces of a commercial jetliner, which is a common characteristic of high-speed, vertical impacts.