r/NoStupidQuestions • u/JMRooDukes808 • 6d ago

Do you think the 9/11 hijackers knew that the WTC buildings would collapse?

I really don’t know where else to ask this. There is obviously an overload of information about the event itself online, but one thing I can’t find out is if the hijackers intended to, or knew that the WTC buildings would collapse. Do you think they just planned on the impact and fires to be the extent of the damage caused? As far as I know, no steel structure buildings in history had collapsed from fire at that point, so it makes me wonder if they actually “succeeded” in their plan more than they intended.

Edit: no conspiracies please, that was not the point of my post

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u/j_grouchy 6d ago

I'm sure. I know they go over 600 at full cruising, but I really have no idea how fast they were going when they hit. I only know they have to be at minimum of almost 200 to even stay in the air

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u/BeefyMcPissflaps 6d ago

Pilot here. They were definitely doing well over 250kts. I believe I read the Pentagon airplane was pushing 500kts at impact. Your thoughts are accurate though.

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u/Eric848448 6d ago

Pretty shocking how little visible damage it did to the Pentagon. I know it’s a massive building but still.

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u/damnedifyoudo_throw 6d ago

Recently renovated building designed to withstand a missile explosion. The plane basically disintegrated

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u/sexyloser1128 6d ago

Recently renovated building designed to withstand a missile explosion.

Just curious as to why the renovations included designs to withstand a missile explosion? Seeing how the US homeland has never been bombed by a foreign nation (I don't really count the Japanese balloon attacks during ww2 since they were so inaccurate and ineffective).

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u/RainbowBier 5d ago

in a nuclear showdown you want your citadel to survive as many hits as possible before being put out of commision and to buy time in case the first strike can be survived and the secondary strike takes enough time to evac your personal imaging that the pentagon would be on the top10 hitlist

im pretty sure there are still warplans for any case, in the game world in conflict its a fleet of freigthers being used as landing craft for russian units with market garden style landing operations near in and around new york city

so pentagon needs to be defendable against any threat