Research
Official reports, 3-D modeling of flight path data, and flight simulations performed by eight pilots in a full motion flight simulator were used to evaluate the likelihood of manual versus automated control of the aircraft reported to have struck the World Trade Center Towers in New York and the Pentagon in Arlington, VA, on September 11, 2001.
About the Author
Dr. Piers Robinson is research director of the International Center for 9/11 Justice and co-editor of the Journal of 9/11 Studies. Prior to his current role at the Center, he was chair/professor in Politics, Society and Political Journalism at the University of Sheffield from 2016 to 2019, lecturer/senior lecturer in International Politics at the University of Manchester from 2005 to 2016, and lecturer in Political Communication at the University of Liverpool from 1999 to 2005. In addition to his experience as an academic researcher, he holds a private pilot license (PPL) with an Instrument Meteorological Condition (IMC) Rating and has 200 hours flying experience.
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Flight Simulation Videos
Appendices linking to videos of the flight simulations and to detailed notes on the simulations can be found at the end of the report. The flight simulation videos can also be found here.
Please note that on some videos sound and image are restricted in order to protect anonymity.
