9/11 video doesn’t prove plane didn’t hit South Tower
What was claimed
Home video footage shows that no planes were used in the 9/11 terror attacks on the World Trade Center.
Our verdict
This is not true. The video only shows the impact from one angle, obscuring the second plane completely. There is ample evidence planes were used in the 9/11 attacks, including many videos showing a plane hitting the South Tower.
This fact check includes links to pictures and video footage some people may find disturbing.
A post on Facebook wrongly claims that video footage of the 9/11 terror attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City shows that no planes were involved. The video has been viewed more than 20,000 times.
It shows Flight 175 hitting the South Tower, the second tower of the World Trade Center struck during the attack.
In the clip no plane can be seen hitting the tower—all that can be seen is the explosion in the immediate aftermath. But this video has been edited to remove the plane. The original footage clearly shows Flight 175 hitting the South Tower.
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The original was filmed by photojournalist Keith Lopez from FDR Drive.
There are many other pictures and videos available online of Flight 175 approaching and hitting the South Tower partly because so many were photographing the aftermath of the first attack. Also, as many other fact checkers and experts have written, there is ample evidence that planes were used during the attacks.
Alongside eyewitness accounts, pictures and videos of the impact itself, pieces of the aircraft were also recovered from the wreckage of the towers.
Correction 17 September 2026
An earlier version of this fact check incorrectly suggested that the plane was not visible due to the angle of the footage. As explained above, the video shared on social media was edited to remove the plane from the original footage.
This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as false because the video shows the impact of Flight 175 into the South Tower of the World Trade Center from just one angle, obscuring the plane itself. There is ample evidence the planes hit the towers.
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