The Pentagon Attack: by |
Introduction
The theory that the Pentagon was not hit by a Boeing 757 (the kind of plane that Flight 77 was) is promoted by the most widely distributed books, videos, and other media challenging the official account of the 9/11 attack. The no-Boeing theory forms the central thesis of Thierry Meyssan's books L'effroyable Imposture (The Frightening Fraud), andLe Pentagate; is featured by the videos Painful Deceptions, 9/11 In Plane Site, andLoose Change; and is the subject of the Flash animation 9/11 Pentagon Strike. These pieces have been distributed worldwide in quantities reaching into the millions, thanks to a combination of excellent production values, entertaining and captivating styles of presentation, and expert, well-financed marketing. The work of 9/11 researchers who do not embrace the no-Boeing theory has been eclipsed in every medium except the web.
In late 2004 I wrote The Pentagon No-757-Crash Theory: Booby Trap for 9/11 Skeptics . In it, I examined the no-Boeing theory from several perspectives including analysis of its:
That essay presents a cumulative argument against the no-Boeing theory using each of these perspectives. Critics of this essay failed to acknowledge this and instead zeroed in on one point or another to highlight it as if the entire case against the no-Boeing theory hinged on that point. For example, several critics have misstated my position as relying exclusively on the accounts of eyewitnesses, ignoring my detailed examination of the 'physical evidence case' for the no-Boeing theory.
In this essay I look exclusively at the physical evidence of the Pentagon attack -- post-crash photographs and verifiable information about the building, the Boeing 757-200 aircraft, and the physics of aircraft crashes based on case studies. In some cases I mention elements of eyewitness accounts, but only to frame my analysis of what the photographs show about the crash. I show that the physical evidence is consistent with the crash of a 757, noting flaws in popular arguments to the contrary.
The many eyewitness accounts of the Pentagon attack constitute a rich body of evidence that strongly supports the conclusion that the attack plane was either a Boeing 757 or a very similar aircraft. The physical and eyewitness evidence are thus mutually corroborating, a fact that is obscured by common errors in evaluating the physical evidence. Many researchers have dismissed the body of eyewitness evidence out of hand, primarily for two reasons:
- Allegations that the body of witness evidence as a whole is plagued by bias, contamination, and unreliability (addressed here) have been widely promoted and have not been effectively countered, apparently because the ponderous volume of the witness reports discourages analysis.
- Assertions that physical evidence trumps witness evidence in any crime investigation have fostered a reflexive disdain for witness evidence while lending a false sense of infallibility to arguments based on photographs.
Factors such as these have contributed to the creation of a false dialectic, which has eyewitness evidence supporting the Boeing theory and physical evidence supporting the no-Boeing theory. By focusing on the physical evidence here, I hope to sidestep that dialectic and clarify what conclusions the physical evidence actually supports.
Contents
- Debris is Consistent with a Jetliner Crash
- Pentagon Facade Damage Fits a 757
- Interior Damage is Consistent with a 757 Crash
- Damage to Surroundings Fits a 757
- Specific Debris Matches a 757
- The Attack Plane's Approach Is Consistent With a 757
- Suppressing Evidence of the Crash Serves the Cover-up
Debris is Consistent with a Jetliner Crash
Pentagon Facade Damage Fits a 757
The Pentagon attack resulted in extensive damage to the facade corresponding roughly to the frontal profile of a 757. The damaged area included extensive punctures on the first floor and much smaller punctures on the second floor. Punctured Walls Admitted Most of a 757The portions of the Pentagon's facade punctured by the crash are easily measured by combining data from several different photographs, both before and after the collapse of the section. Several photographs by Jason Ingersoll provide detailed views of right portions of the impact zone. Other photographs show the left portions of the impact zone. Together, these photographs show that the facade was punctured over a wide swath on the first floor and a much smaller extent on the second floor. Measuring the punctured regions shows that the facade was completely punctured for a width of 96 feet on the first floor and 18 feet on the second floor. Punctured areas were bounded by columns and floor slabs. This is natural since the columns and floor slabs were constructed of steel-reinforced concrete, whereas the window bays spanning them were brick walls reinforced with steel window frames and Kevlar mesh as part of the renovation program. On the first floor, the primary puncture extended from column 8 to column 18. Three leaning objects in the first floor space left of the hole center are often assumed to be displaced remains of columns 15, 16, and 17. However, this analysis shows that those objects are more likely to be fallen pieces of the second floor slab than columns. Thus, it appears that the crash initially left a first floor hole that extended unobstructed for 96 feet. Surviving column 18 marked the rightmost extent of the hole, but to the right of it is another hole extending to column 19. Thus the total width of punctured walls on the first floor was at least 105 feet. On the second floor, the puncture extended from column 13 to column 15. Photographs show a hanging object in the position of column 14. This appears to consist in part of remains of the steel reinforcements that were part of column 14. Breached Limestone Marks Profile of 757's WingsBeyond the areas of the punctured facade walls were extensive regions in which the facade's limestone facing was breached. Post-crash photographs show regions of missing limestone facing from about four to eleven feet above the ground and extending to at least 40 feet to the north of column line 8. Photographs also show extensive damage to the south of the impact punctures, with most of the damage to the south of column line 19 being above the first floor. Although the damage beyond the impact punctures appears to be consistent with the impact of the outer portions a 757's wings in both degree and extent, many observers think that the impact should have left a clear imprint of a 757's profile on the facade, much as the impacts of 767s left their profiles in the Twin Towers. This is not a persuasive argument against the crash of a 757:
Lateral Displacement of Tail Damage Suggests ExplosionOne of the more persuasive arguments made against the crash of a 757 is the apparent lack of facade damage above the second floor level over the central impact region. Photographs of the facade before the collapse show no signs of damage to the limestone or windows above the second floor impact punctures. Because the aircraft approached at high speed, the argument goes, the impact could not have significantly deflected the vertical stabilizer (vertical part of the tail) from a trajectory that would have forced it to impact the building directly above the central hole that admitted the fuselage. The above argument is based on at least three assumptions:
Assumption 1 is intuitive, but there appears to be no experiment or rigorous argument that establishes its validity. The vertical tail sections of most jetliners are constructed of lightweight materials, and do not have to support the kinds of loads that the wing ends or elevators do. There are even cases of vertical stabilizers breaking off due to wake turbulence, as was reported to happen in the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 on November 12, 2001. Assumption 2 is also intuitive, because the tail section would have had to undergo high accelerations perpendicular to the flight path in order to deflect far from the region above the impact hole center. Whether the impact was insufficient to impart those accelerations, however, has yet to be established. Assumption 3 appears to have been overlooked by most no-757-crash theorists. Any of a number of events consistent with the available evidence could have altered the trajectory of the vertical tail section before or at the moment of impact. Three possibilities are:
SummaryProponents of the no-Boeing theory have made the following claims about the damage to the Pentagon's facade:
Claim 1 is based on the selective presentation of photographs in which fire retardant spray obscures the entire first floor. Claim 2 is based on the fallacy that the distance between the expansion joints bounding the collapsed region of the facade marked the maximum extent of impact punctures. Post-crash photographs clearly show impact punctures extending over twenty feet to the right and to the left of the expansion joints. Claim 3 is based on the confusion of hanging sections of the second floor for columns. Claim 4 is true, but consistent with the crash of a 757 whose wing ends and tail are too light to puncture the Pentagon's walls. | Facade Impact Punctures This photograph by Jason Ingersoll shows the impact hole center extending to the second floor and punctured walls to its right. Punctured walls to the left of the hole center are obscured by smoke. The cluster of three spools which appears close to the facade is actually about 80 feet away from it, to its right.This study of facade damage builds a profile of the region of breached walls by assembling information from four different photographs.This simulation shows a 757-200 colliding with the Pentagon's facade, where the damage to the facade documented by photographs is indicated by colors.Damage Dimensions This study measures the extent of punctured walls (outlined in red) and breached limestone (outlined in green).Breached Limestone This photograph from the FEMA Report (Figure 3.8) shows missing limestone around and above windows to the left of the impact punctures.This photograph from the FEMA Report (Figure 5.12) shows impact damage to the steel reinforced columns and brick walls to the right of the impact center following the removal of some of the limestone facing.This photograph shows a larger view of damage to the south of the impact center.Tail Damage This photograph shows scoring of the limestone on the facade of the fourth floor.Missile Batteries? These photographs all show concrete structures with open metal doors. Do these structures contain some kind of defensive system?757-200 Dimensions These drawings depict a Boeing 757-200F, a freighter. It has the same dimensions and shape as the passenger version of the 757-200.
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Interior Damage is Consistent With a 757 Crash
Damage to Surroundings Fits a 757
Specific Debris Matches a 757
The Attack Plane's Approach Is Consistent With a 757
Suppressing Evidence of the Crash Serves the Cover-up
Evidence from the Pentagon crash that would decisively resolve the question of whether Flight 77 was the attack plane has been systematically suppressed by authorities, such as the FBI. Actions have included the following:
This behavior is consistent with three different motives on the parts of the those responsible for suppression and destruction of evidence.
People who fail to grasp the role of disinformation in the cover-up will tend to overlook Motive 3 and attribute the suspicious actions to Motive 2. However, as I point out in the Booby Trap article, an analysis of the history of the 9/11 Truth Movement demonstrates the value of the no-jetliner theories in sidelining challenges to the official story as the product of lunatic conspiracy theorists. |
Conclusion
In this essay I asked what conclusions about the Pentagon attack were supported by physical evidence -- primarily post-crash photographs of the site. I found that, in every aspect I considered, this evidence comports with the crash of a Boeing 757. At the same time, the evidence does not conclusively prove that the aircraft was a 757, much less that it was Flight 77. However, that lack of conclusiveness should not be surprising given the systematic suppression of evidence by authorities.
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