Alternate 9/11 Plane Hits the Empire State Building

What if instead of hijacking planes to be crashed into the World Trade Center, terrorists choose another target and crash it into the Empire State Building instead? Would we see just as large a collapse as in the twin towers? Discuss.
 
Demolition is impossible. Buildings like the Empire State Building had a heavy structure and strong design, unlike the WTC's hollow tube. Add in the stronger fire protection from the use of concrete, and the fact that a B-25 crashed into the building in 1945, without causing any severe structural damage. My take, the building is damaged heavily and people die, but the damage could be repaired in a year or two.
 
Pretty much what the above poster said. The Empire State Building was in fact a bit over-engineered. With all the armed concrete used it's a much sturdier building than the WTC ever was.
 
One of the ugly wtc buildings still exists and the esb stays standing since it was built with better materials and the fact that a plane hit in WWII and it obviously didn't fall then.

Edit: ninja'ed
 
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Agreed with all the above. The Empire State Building is overbuilt thanks to being built in an era before architects and engineers could use computers to tell them the minimum amount of structural support they could get away with and be within code.

Plus, its main structural support is concrete and even more the outer concrete walls are loadbearing.
 
One of the ugly wtc buildings still exists and the esb stays standing since it was built with better materials and the fact that a plane hit in WWII and it obviously didn't fall then.

Edit: ninja'ed

Yes, the Empire State Building was hit by an airplane, but it was hit by a B-25, which is both lighter and slower than a Boeing 767. In this scenario, I think the Empire State Building is coming down.
 
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elkarlo

Banned
Yes, the Empire State Building was hit by an airplane, but it was hit by a B-25, which is both lighter and slower than a Boeing 767. In this scenario, I think the Empire State Building is coming down.


yeah, though it may be over engineered, the fire and impact may still bring it down
 
Yes, the Empire State Building was hit by an airplane, but it was hit by a B-25, which is both lighter and slower than a Boeing 767. In this scenario, I think the Empire State Building is coming down.

Well, remember it was not the impact that destroyed the World Trade Center Towers.

It was the fire that weakened the steel frame members where they could no longer support the floors above them so the buildings basically pancaked.

How much would a similar fire weaken the structure of the Empire State Building.

Ever notice, no matter what we're talking about. Skyscrapers hit by terrorists flying airliners, or ships hit by missiles, it generally seems that it is the fires that are started that ultimately cause their doom.
 
Well, remember it was not the impact that destroyed the World Trade Center Towers.

It was the fire that weakened the steel frame members where they could no longer support the floors above them so the buildings basically pancaked.

How much would a similar fire weaken the structure of the Empire State Building.

Ever notice, no matter what we're talking about. Skyscrapers hit by terrorists flying airliners, or ships hit by missiles, it generally seems that it is the fires that are started that ultimately cause their doom.

No, it was the combination of the impact damage and the fire, but the difference in this case is that the airplane is significantly wider than the building on both horizontal axis. What I could see happening in this case is that the airplane effectively cuts the building half. Depending on the exact angle of impact, the upper half will either pancake like the World Trade Centre or, far more messily, will slide off and topple over sideways onto other buildings.
 
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Delta Force

Banned
A Boeing 767-200 and 200ER have a maximum takeoff weight of 315,000 and 395,000 pounds, respectively. They cruise at a speed of 530 miles per hour. A B-25 has a maximum takeoff weight of 35,000 pounds and a cruising speed of 272 miles per hour. A 767-200ER hits win an impact 36 times greater than a B-25, and would actually have to be at 90 miles per hour to have similar kinetic energy. I'm pretty sure that's well below stall speed, so the impact energy is likely to be much higher. In any case, even if an aircraft of similar weight hit at a similar speed the results might be different because a B-25 used more steel and sturdy construction in its design than modern aircraft and used aviation gas instead of jet fuel.
 
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