Mercedes Mullins
On September 11, 2001, four commercial airplanes were hijacked by nineteen al-Qaeda terrorists. The terrorists targeted domestic flights with few passengers, typically full fuel tanks, and departing at the same time for a coordinated attack. The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the Capitol Building were targeted as symbolic centers of American economic and military power. The impact of the planes and the resulting fires ignited by their jet fuel caused the collapse of the Twin Towers, leading to thousands of casualties. Flight 93, the fourth hijacked plane, crashed into an empty field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back. The jet fuel from this flight exploded upon impact, creating a massive fireball.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of planes | 4 |
| Number of terrorists | 19 |
| Number of countries the terrorists were from | 4 |
| Number of countries victims were from | 90 |
| Total number of victims | 2,977 |
| Number of victims in New York | 2,753 |
| Number of victims at the Pentagon | 184 |
| Number of victims on Flight 93 | 40 |
| Number of towers that collapsed | 2 |
| Number of other buildings in the WTC complex that were destroyed | 5 |
| Approximate amount of fuel in gallons on Flight 93 | 5,500 |
| Approximate amount of fuel in tons in each plane | 60 |
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What You'll Learn
The 9/11 planes were chosen for their full fuel tanks
The 9/11 attacks were meticulously planned to cause maximum destruction and spread terror. The terrorists from al-Qaeda who hijacked the four airplanes chose transcontinental flights that would have full fuel tanks to maximise the damage inflicted on their symbolic targets.
The Twin Towers, which symbolised America's economic prowess and global influence, were particularly vulnerable to the intense heat and fires caused by the burning jet fuel. The jet fuel, with 10 times the energy of TNT, weakened the steel support trusses attached to the exterior walls, leading to the towers' eventual collapse. The fires also caused severe damage to walls, ceiling tiles, wires, and windows, and the sprinkler system was severed, resulting in flooding. The burning fuel was channelled through elevator shafts, igniting small-scale fires on numerous floors and causing flash fires in skylobbies and the main lobby.
Similarly, the Pentagon, as the headquarters of the US Department of Defense, represented American military might. The impact of the plane and the subsequent fire severely damaged the building, contributing to the high death toll of 184 people.
Flight 93, the fourth hijacked plane, was likely intended for the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., the centre of American legislative power. However, due to the brave resistance of the passengers and crew, it crashed into an empty field in Pennsylvania, with the 5,500 gallons of jet fuel on board exploding upon impact.
The terrorists strategically targeted flights with full fuel tanks, knowing that the jet fuel would act as a powerful weapon to inflict catastrophic damage on their chosen symbolic targets, causing mass destruction and spreading fear.
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The jet fuel weakened the steel support trusses
The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, involved four hijacked planes, two of which crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. The impact of the planes caused severe damage to the buildings, including the severing of support columns and the dislodging of fireproofing insulation coating the steel floor trusses and columns. The jet fuel from the planes ignited and caused fires on multiple floors, with temperatures reaching as high as 1000°C (1800°F).
While jet fuel cannot melt steel, it can burn hot enough to significantly weaken it. The fires caused by the jet fuel weakened the steel support trusses that attached each floor to the buildings' exterior walls. This weakening of the steel, along with the initial impact damage to the buildings' structural columns, ultimately led to the collapse of both towers.
The specific amount of fuel in the planes during the 9/11 attacks is not publicly available information. However, it is known that the terrorists targeted flights that typically had full fuel tanks to maximise destruction. For example, Flight 93, which crashed in a field in Pennsylvania, had 5,500 gallons of jet fuel on board. The jet fuel contributed to the intense fires and explosions that occurred upon impact, leading to devastating consequences.
The fires caused by the jet fuel had devastating effects on the structural integrity of the Twin Towers. The steel support trusses were critical components in the buildings' construction, and their weakening played a significant role in the eventual collapse. The jet fuel-ignited fires burned at extremely high temperatures, causing the steel to lose its strength and begin to deform. This deformation of the steel trusses resulted in a loss of support for the floors, leading to sagging and inward pulling on the perimeter columns.
The weakening of the steel support trusses, combined with the damage to the buildings' structural columns, initiated the collapse of each tower. The failure began with the south face of WTC 1 and the east face of WTC 2, leading to the inward bowing of the perimeter columns and the subsequent downward cascade of the towers' structures. The collapse of the Twin Towers resulted in hundreds of additional casualties and left the site in ruins.
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The North Tower collapsed due to fire and impact damage
The North Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed due to fire and impact damage. The events of the morning of September 11, 2001, saw four teams of al-Qaeda terrorists hijack four different jetliners. Two of these planes, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, were Boeing 767s that were hijacked after takeoff from Boston's Logan International Airport.
Flight 11 crashed into the northern facade of the North Tower at 8:46 a.m., hitting the 77th to 99th floors. The impact severed all three stairwells in the building's core, trapping close to a thousand survivors above the impact zone. The sprinkler system was also severed, causing flooding on various floors. The impact of the crash caused light-to-moderate damage on every floor from the ground level to the 92nd, including collapsed walls, missing ceiling tiles, severed wires, and smashed windows.
The crash also ignited small-scale fires between the 77th and 91st floors, as well as three major flash fires in the 78th and 44th-floor skylobbies and the main lobby at the base of the tower. The burning jet fuel was channelled through the building via elevator shafts and ductwork, causing fires on multiple floors. The fires, combined with the impact damage, proved too much for the building's structure, and the North Tower collapsed at 10:28 a.m., resulting in hundreds of additional casualties.
The North Tower's collapse was not due to a design flaw. The towers were designed to be lightweight, with a steel and concrete construction that allowed for modular construction methods to accelerate the schedule and reduce costs. The perimeter tube design was highly redundant and could survive the loss of several exterior columns. However, the impact of the plane and the ensuing fires led to steel failures that the building could not withstand. The fire fuel load was so large that the building collapsed in one to two hours, less than the designed evacuation time.
The collapse occurred inward without significant tipping, with the upper levels falling onto the lower levels. This caused the lateral velocity of the collapse, resulting in portions of the perimeter columns and cores falling outwards and the walls peeling off and hitting neighbouring buildings. The North Tower's collapse also caused the collapse of the nearby 7 World Trade Center, as fires ignited by raining debris brought it down at 5:21 p.m. on the same day.
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The burning jet fuel was channelled through the building
On the morning of September 11, 2001, four commercial airplanes were hijacked by 19 terrorists from al-Qaeda. Two of these planes were Boeing 767s, while the other two were Boeing 757s. These large planes were selected for hijacking because they would have full fuel tanks, maximizing the destruction caused by the attacks.
The first plane, American Airlines Flight 11, was a Boeing 767 loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel. It crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City at 8:45 a.m., instantly killing hundreds of people and trapping hundreds more on higher floors. The impact left a gaping, burning hole near the 93rd and 99th floors of the 110-story skyscraper. The North Tower collapsed at 10:28 a.m., one hour and forty-one minutes after being struck by Flight 11, due to fire-induced structural failure.
The burning jet fuel from Flight 11 was channelled through the North Tower via elevator shafts and ductwork, igniting small-scale fires on many floors between the 77th and 91st floors. Three major flash fires occurred in the 78th and 44th-floor skylobbies, as well as the main lobby at the base of the tower, causing fatal burns nearly a hundred floors below the impact. The fires intensified the damage caused by the plane's impact, weakening the steel support trusses that attached each of the floors to the building's exterior walls. This, along with the initial damage to the building's structural columns, ultimately led to the tower's collapse.
The second plane, United Airlines Flight 175, was also a Boeing 767. It struck the South Tower of the World Trade Center at 9:03 a.m., just 18 minutes after the first plane hit. The collision caused a massive explosion that showered burning debris over surrounding buildings and onto the streets below. The South Tower collapsed at 9:59 a.m., burning for exactly 56 minutes after being struck by Flight 175 and the explosion of its fuel.
The third plane, American Airlines Flight 77, was a Boeing 757 that crashed into the west side of the Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense, at 9:45 a.m. The jet fuel from Flight 77 caused a devastating inferno, leading to the structural collapse of a portion of the building. A total of 125 military personnel and civilians were killed in the Pentagon, along with all 64 people aboard the airliner.
The fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, was delayed by more than 25 minutes due to heavy morning traffic. The passengers and crew of Flight 93 learned of the previous attacks and organized an uprising to take control of the aircraft. However, the terrorists crashed the plane into an empty field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at 10:03 a.m., rather than risking the loss of control to the passengers and crew. Flight 93 had approximately 5,500 gallons of jet fuel on board, which exploded upon impact, creating a massive fireball.
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The Flight 93 crash site had 5,500 gallons of jet fuel
On September 11, 2001, four commercial airplanes were hijacked by al-Qaeda terrorists. The terrorists targeted domestic flights that typically had few passengers, so they would encounter less resistance. They also sought aircraft they had been trained to pilot, which were non-stop, coast-to-coast flights with full fuel tanks to cause maximum destruction.
One of the four flights was United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed into an empty field in Western Pennsylvania. The terrorists' intended target was likely the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., where legislators were in session. However, the plane crashed 20 minutes flying-time away from the Capitol. This was because the passengers and crew of Flight 93 fought back against the terrorists, preventing them from reaching their intended target.
The Flight 93 National Memorial honours the actions of the passengers and crew, recognising their unity, courage, and defiance in the face of adversity. The memorial serves as a reminder of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and the impact of the jet fuel on the severity of the attacks.
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Frequently asked questions
The terrorists chose transcontinental flights as these would have full fuel tanks to maximise destruction. The planes probably contained 60 tons of fuel each, maybe more.
The terrorists chose flights that would be full of fuel to maximise the damage caused.
The fires caused by the impacts were intensified by the planes' burning jet fuel. This weakened the steel support trusses, which attached the floors to the buildings' exterior walls, ultimately causing both towers to collapse.
