[godsdice]

I think the fact that the Pentagon stood up very well is perfectly understandable, here's why I think so:

-Pentagon firefighters were able to get to the scene faster than WTC and the fire, as opposed to the twin towers, was fightable and controllable because it was at or near ground-level.

-The Pentagon's structure is composed of steel-reinforced concrete. Concrete is an incredibly fire-resistant material, therefore the steel structure did not bend or melt. This was one of the faults of the WTC design (recognized by the fire marshal of New York long before the construction began in the late 60s/early 70s), as the steel girders were coated with a fire resistant insulation rather than fully sheathed in concrete.

-The concrete further lent itself to protecting against bombing, since the building was in fact created during war-time. I've also heard that the Pentagon was designed or is purported to be able to remain intact after a nuclear strike, although that's obviously not an absolute statement.

-For the past several years each branch of the Pentagon had been undergoing structural strengthening. The side that got hit on 9/11 had just finished additions of vertical steel beams bolted together on each floor. Many of these stiffening structures remained in place 30 minutes after the collision.

I remember distinctly NOT seeing any part of the airplane sticking out of the WTC or the Pentagon. It really shouldn't be surprising that there aren't many remains of the aircraft; you've got a relatively thin structure of aluminum hurtling into steel and concrete at maximum speed and then a day or so of very high temperatures. Look at 'normal' airline crashes and you might not see a recognizable airplane...and they usually have a relatively soft ground to land on and slower speeds.

What makes you think that the plane flew straight into the building? If I were flying a plane into something on the ground of a low-lying building I would point the nose of the plane directly at the target. These things aren't fighter jets you can't expect to have control tring to fly a huge airliner less than 100 feet above ground (in which case at 100ft you would fly over the Pentagon). I think it's more likely that the plane came in hitting the first or second floor at an angle.

Given the fact that two of the tallest buildings in the world collapsed I'm not surprised that the media last September couldn't stop hiring engineers to explain why it happened. Still it sure would be nice they more attention to the Pentagon.