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Posted: |
Sep 14, 2016 - 2:58 PM
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By: |
TPC
(Member)
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I've always wondered why the hijackers of AA 77 went for the Pentagon. The more logical priority to me would be 1) Capitol Hill, 2) the White House and 3) the Pentagon. It could be that it was easier to hit the larger building considering the ramming speed would be very high. The faster the missile, the less easy it is to make correctional turns, even if they are very slight, for a line of sight to the target. The bastards might have considered it would be a risk to try to hit an important target and miss it altogether. They may have found these things out during the relatively short duration they were at the controls of the 757. Or it could be that in the heat of the moment, the Pentagon was the easier landmark to spot in the distance, so they went for it.
If the Pentagon was their priority target then it could have been due to a perception of the building having military significance, which to their way of thinking may have overridden all other considerations.
From what I heard (and my information may be way off), the hijackers couldn't find their target in the morning light. However, they were able to find the Pentagon, so they went for that instead.
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Posted: |
Sep 14, 2016 - 3:30 PM
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By: |
Grecchus
(Member)
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From what I heard (and my information may be way off), the hijackers couldn't find their target in the morning light. However, they were able to find the Pentagon, so they went for that instead.
United 93 was bound for the west coast (SFO, I believe) from out of Newark, when it turned around and headed ESE towards DC. We don't know what that hijacked plane's target may have been, however, it is believed the act of piracy on board the aircraft took place later than planned, so it would have been the second of the two planes to reach it's Washington target in any case, had the passengers and crew not effectively intervened to stop it fulfilling the act of destruction for which it had been singled out by the pirates. We'll never know for sure what the actual intent for United 93 was, however, had the aircraft reached the city, the smoke plume from the Pentagon caused by the crash of AA 77 would likely have determined that United 93 head for the seat of government.
Like many people, I couldn't quite believe an airliner had struck the World Trade Centre - surely it must have been a light aircraft. No, the guy at work who was the first to catch the news said, it was a big plane. Still, I had to get to a TV after work to see that it was all true. Something impossible had actually happened. I'd read about the B25 that had accidentally crashed into the Empire State building, post WWII, but 9/11 was off the scale.
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Posted: |
Sep 14, 2016 - 3:36 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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I've always wondered why the hijackers of AA 77 went for the Pentagon. The more logical priority to me would be 1) Capitol Hill, 2) the White House and 3) the Pentagon. It could be that it was easier to hit the larger building considering the ramming speed would be very high. The faster the missile, the less easy it is to make correctional turns, even if they are very slight, for a line of sight to the target. The bastards might have considered it would be a risk to try to hit an important target and miss it altogether. They may have found these things out during the relatively short duration they were at the controls of the 757. Or it could be that in the heat of the moment, the Pentagon was the easier landmark to spot in the distance, so they went for it.
If the Pentagon was their priority target then it could have been due to a perception of the building having military significance, which to their way of thinking may have overridden all other considerations.
From what I heard (and my information may be way off), the hijackers couldn't find their target in the morning light. However, they were able to find the Pentagon, so they went for that instead.
According to the 9-11 Commission Report:
"Bin Ladin told Binalshibh to instruct Atta and the others to focus on their security and that of the operation, and to advise Atta to proceed as planned with the targets discussed before Atta left Afghanistan in early 2000-the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, the White House, and the Capitol. According to Binalshibh, Bin Ladin said he preferred the White House over the Capitol, asking Binalshibh to confirm that Atta understood this preference."
. . . .
"As to targets, Atta understood Bin Ladin's interest in striking the White House. Atta said he thought this target too difficult, but had tasked Hazmi and Hanjour to evaluate its feasibility and was awaiting their answer. Atta said that those two operatives had rented small aircraft and flown reconnaissance flights near the Pentagon. Atta explained that Hanjour was assigned to attack the Pentagon, Jarrah the Capitol, and that both Atta and Shehhi would hit the World Trade Center. If any pilot could not reach his intended target, he was to crash the plane. If Atta could not strike the World Trade Center, he planned to crash his aircraft directly into the streets of New York."
. . . .
"On August 3, for example, Atta and Binalshibh discussed several matters, such as the best way for the operatives to purchase plane tickets and the assignment of muscle hijackers to individual teams. Atta and Binalshibh also revisited the question of whether to target the White House. They discussed targets in coded language, pretending to be students discussing various fields of study: "architecture" referred to the World Trade Center, "arts" the Pentagon, "law" the Capitol, and "politics" the White House.
"Binalshibh reminded Atta that Bin Ladin wanted to target the White House. Atta again cautioned that this would be difficult. When Binalshibh persisted, Atta agreed to include the White House but suggested they keep the Capitol as an alternate target in case the White House proved too difficult."
So, it appears that the Pentagon was a target from the very beginning. The big discussion among the terrorists was whether to hit the White House or the Capitol. One or the other would have been the target of downed Flight 93. I guess we'll never know which one.
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