As the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks approaches, a video circulating online has been used to challenge the established facts regarding the strike on the World Trade Center’s south tower. British former Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen shared the footage on X on September 15, 2026, suggesting it proves that no aircraft impacted the building.
The clip, which was filmed live by NBC’s Chopper 4, shows the Twin Towers with the north tower already engulfed in flames. An explosion is visible on the south tower, but from the camera’s perspective, the plane itself is not seen during the brief segment Bridgen posted. The video has accumulated over one million views on the platform.
“Where was the plane that caused it?” Bridgen asked in his accompanying post.
However, investigators and reverse image searches reveal that the full, unedited recording from the helicopter does capture the moment of impact. In the complete version, a small dot representing the aircraft can be seen moving toward the south tower immediately before the explosion occurs.
The reason the plane is absent in Bridgen’s excerpt is due to the angle of the footage. Geolocation analysis indicates that the NBC helicopter was positioned to the north of the complex, filming the north side of the south tower. According to the 9/11 Commission Report, United Airlines Flight 175 struck the south face of the south tower. Because the helicopter was viewing the opposite side, the tower’s structure blocked the view of the collision.
The impact is clearly documented in other recordings from that day, most notably the famous footage captured by cameraman Evan Fairbanks, who was standing at ground level near the south tower. His video provides direct visual evidence of the Boeing 767 hitting the south side of the building.
Does anyone else find it odd that this resurfaces right before the anniversary? Seems like deliberate amplification by bad actors.
It’s remarkable how such a simple geometric fact can fuel conspiracy theories for twenty-five years. The structure blocks the view, that’s it.
I actually didn’t know about the Fairbanks footage. Thanks for the context on why that helicopter angle failed to show the impact.
One million views on a misleading clip is terrifying. We need better media literacy, not more conspiracy theories.
Important reminder to watch full videos before sharing. The angle really does hide the plane from that specific helicopter view.