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Originally posted by mirageofdeceit
If you check my calcs on the altitude on Page 3 of this thread, and compare with the decoded FDR data found here: z9.invisionfree.com...
Accounting for the fact I have mis-calculated the altitude of the Pentagon lawn in my calcs, and making the differences up, I come to the same conclusion@ that it was 275 feet above the lawn of the Pentagon.
If it was descending at 5,500 ft/min, then in 1 second, the aircraft descended 5500 / 60 = 91 ft. In two seconds, it descended 91 x 2 ft = 182 ft.
275 - 182 = 93 ft AGL. It STILL didn't hit the Pentagon, even allowing for a two second gap in the data between the last reading and "impact".
The aircraft passed over the Pentagon with 93 - 70 = 23 ft to spare. Allowing for altimeter altitude (13 ft according to the Boeing tech drawings with the gear up to allow for the bottom of the engine nacelles) we get 23 - 13 = 10 ft clearance.
This still puts the aircraft 80 ft above the lawn, two seconds after the last data was recorded in the FDR.
Considering the aircraft clearly enters the official camera view LEVEL with the ground at about 15 ft, it is not possible that the aircraft suddenly dived in the last 150 ft and leveled out before hitting the Pentagon, at 450 kts. It would have gone nose first into the lawn (and we know that didn't happen).
We know it didn't bounce - the lawn is intact. Another point here: if it did bounce, it would leave the engines behind as these would impact first. Most people assume that when it "bounced" it bounced off the fuselage, but the engines are under-slung, and these would impact first, most likely ripping the wings off in the process, and creating a fireball SHORT of the Pentagon (think of the Boeing 720 fuel test aircraft from the 80s). We'd have scorched earth, a crater where it dug in, and a general mess. But the lawn is actually intact.
If it didn't dive, and therefore didn't/couldn't hit the bottom of the building as is claimed (with a level attitude), the only place it went was over. There is no-where else it could have gone given the damage to the Pentagon, the lack of damage to the lawn, and the aircraft altitude, speed, and rate of descent.
[edit on 13-3-2007 by mirageofdeceit]