GIA crash Flight 8969 into the Eiffel Tower

[PMN1]

In December 1994, the GIA hijacked Air France flight 8969 en route from Algiers to Paris.

The plane was eventually stormed at Marseille and control regained but its was reported its intended target was the Eiffel Tower or it was going to be blown up over Paris.

What would have been the reaction to the Eiffel Tower being turned into a mass of scrap metal?

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[Thande]

In December 1994, the GIA hijacked Air France flight 8969 en route from Algiers to Paris.

The plane was eventually stormed at Marseille and control regained but its was reported its intended target was the Eiffel Tower or it was going to be blown up over Paris.

What would have been the reaction to the Eiffel Tower being turned into a mass of scrap metal?

​

I have read of this affair before.

Would the Eiffel Tower be significantly damaged by a plane crash? Granted probably most of the people on it at the time would be killed in the fireball, but it seems like the structure of the tower would not be vulnerable to the sort of effects that did for the WTC. Maybe some melting and drooping and leaning, but not total collapse.

 

[Fletch]

The French, with help from the rest of the west go after Afghanistan, but leave Iraq alone, and Afghanistan is done more properly, after all even the us senate says there was no link between al quieda and iraq....


An Edit
DOH! Sorry, just read start to thread again and realise you said in 94' Not got a scooby what would happen.

 

[Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy]

Since the GIA is Algerian, it's possible that France might get somewhat directly involved in the civil war there. I can see them deploying special forces to hunt down the group in the Atlas Mountains and providing the government with whatever assistance it needs.

 

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Would the Eiffel Tower be significantly damaged by a plane crash? Granted probably most of the people on it at the time would be killed in the fireball, but it seems like the structure of the tower would not be vulnerable to the sort of effects that did for the WTC. Maybe some melting and drooping and leaning, but not total collapse.

The Eiffel Tower would be destroyed by an aircraft crash. Consider the WTC, which had an immense amount of protection around the central support columns, which were made of high-grade 1970's steel and concrete. The Eiffel Tower is constructed of 19th century riveted puddled iron, with no concrete. There isn't anything around the load-bearing frame of the Tower to protect it from impact.

If a jumbo jet were to impact the tower, say about 2/3 of the way up, at an oblique angle, the top of the tower would be sheared off, collapsing downward. The aircraft would be heavily damaged, cartwheeling into the ground beyond the tower as the damaged portion of the aircraft peeled away. The top of the tower would collapse downward, onto the base, which, weakened by shearing forces of the impact, would partially collapse. The two feet closest to the side of the impact would be most weakened, while it is possible that the third and fourth feet might remain standing if there is not enough weight to pull them down.

 

[Thande]

The Eiffel Tower would be destroyed by an aircraft crash. Consider the WTC, which had an immense amount of protection around the central support columns, which were made of high-grade 1970's steel and concrete. The Eiffel Tower is constructed of 19th century riveted puddled iron, with no concrete. There isn't anything around the load-bearing frame of the Tower to protect it from impact.

If a jumbo jet were to impact the tower, say about 2/3 of the way up, at an oblique angle, the top of the tower would be sheared off, collapsing downward. The aircraft would be heavily damaged, cartwheeling into the ground beyond the tower as the damaged portion of the aircraft peeled away. The top of the tower would collapse downward, onto the base, which, weakened by shearing forces of the impact, would partially collapse. The two feet closest to the side of the impact would be most weakened, while it is possible that the third and fourth feet might remain standing if there is not enough weight to pull them down.

All right, assuming you're right, would there be any collateral damage to neighbouring buildings? I haven't been there in years so I don't recall whether the immediate vicinity is all that built up.

 

[Sovereign12]

I would imagine much of the plane would continue past the tower into Paris itself. The tower is mostly empty space. While the plane would probably explode, depending on the amount of fuel, its momentum would still be enough to cut through the iron of the girders. By this point the plane is going to come down no matter what, whether in large peices or small. Burning fuel will be sprayed out as it comes down. The park set aflame, blocks of buildings probably go up as the plane finally comes down. More people would die than just those in or under the tower.

This would be worse than just the Tower being hit as a strike against France. France would want to retaliate, but I could see the US Democrats in office at this time trying to calm the French government down, or talk them into getting all of NATO to support. Sort of a "hit one of us, you've hit all of us" thing.

 

[Doctor What]

All right, assuming you're right, would there be any collateral damage to neighbouring buildings? I haven't been there in years so I don't recall whether the immediate vicinity is all that built up.

Looks like it's pretty well-built up....

 

[Thande]

This would be worse than just the Tower being hit as a strike against France. France would want to retaliate, but I could see the US Democrats in office at this time trying to calm the French government down, or talk them into getting all of NATO to support. Sort of a "hit one of us, you've hit all of us" thing.

Given the Algeria connection wouldn't Clinton view it as more of an internal French matter? Granted, I think he would urge a policy of restraint, but not I think to the extent you imply.

@Bruno - I think it would depend on which direction the plane was coming from; the tower could either crash relatively harmlessly into the Seine or gardens, or come down on top of a built-up area.

 

[Doctor What]

@Bruno - I think it would depend on which direction the plane was coming from; the tower could either crash relatively harmlessly into the Seine or gardens, or come down on top of a built-up area.

Don't forget the plane itself--it could end up pretty much anywhere regardless of the direction it hit the tower.

 

[Thande]

Don't forget the plane itself--it could end up pretty much anywhere regardless of the direction it hit the tower.

It would be just our luck if that Stade Emile Antoine was being used at the time...

 

[TheMann]

Given the Algeria connection wouldn't Clinton view it as more of an internal French matter? Granted, I think he would urge a policy of restraint, but not I think to the extent you imply.

@Bruno - I think it would depend on which direction the plane was coming from; the tower could either crash relatively harmlessly into the Seine or gardens, or come down on top of a built-up area.

Enough momentum and that plane could hit the Ecole militaire, which would be a HUGE mess. We're talking not on the scale of 9/11 but pretty damn close. If it hit the tower and flew apart, pieces would land all over the gardens and in the developed areas around the tower, torching a whole bunch of homes and businesses, and if it got all the way to Ecole Militaire there is a rather large skyscraper, and hitting it near the bottom could cause it to topple over, which would assuredly kill everybody in it.

 

[Thande]

Enough momentum and that plane could hit the Ecole militaire, which would be a HUGE mess. We're talking not on the scale of 9/11 but pretty damn close. If it hit the tower and flew apart, pieces would land all over the gardens and in the developed areas around the tower, torching a whole bunch of homes and businesses, and if it got all the way to Ecole Militaire there is a rather large skyscraper, and hitting it near the bottom could cause it to topple over, which would assuredly kill everybody in it.

If we take that as the worst case scenario, the repercussions could be staggering...

 

[Amerigo Vespucci]

If we take that as the worst case scenario, the repercussions could be staggering...

It's nearly a mile away... I don't see the aircraft hitting both as likely. Let's take the scenario. The aircraft flies in from the northwest, toward the Ecole. It has to dive in order to hit the Tower, and thus most of the force is directed downward -- it probably won't hit square on, either; it will be pulled to the right or left slightly before the aircraft cartwheels into the ground. It'll go right through the tower, hitting the ground beyond it, then fireballing along the ground. To me, the worst case is if it comes from the southeast, and cartwheels right into the stade.

 

[HelloLegend]

In December 1994, the GIA hijacked Air France flight 8969 en route from Algiers to Paris.​

The plane was eventually stormed at Marseille and control regained but its was reported its intended target was the Eiffel Tower or it was going to be blown up over Paris.​

What would have been the reaction to the Eiffel Tower being turned into a mass of scrap metal?​

The attack might actually butterfly away Sept 11th, since now American military and FAA would be more on alert of passenger jets potentially used as missles into buildings and structures.

 

[Thande]

The attack might actually butterfly away Sept 11th, since now American military and FAA would be more on alert of passenger jets potentially used as missles into buildings and structures.

Indeed.

I seem to remember there was also an attempted terrorist atrocity in France at the Millennium in 1999/2000 - was that related to this?

 

[PMN1]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/5345202.stmBloody formatting is out but the GSPC (ex GIA) have aligned themselves with Al Queda.</p>

 

[PMN1]

The BBC's 'Age of Terror' series episode on Tuesday 29th April is about this.
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[PMN1]

Nothing new in the programme.

No explanation as to why the terrorists stayed so long on the ground at Algiers giving time for the 'mole' to tell the French what the true plan was.


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[Archibald]

Indeed.

I seem to remember there was also an attempted terrorist atrocity in France at the Millennium in 1999/2000 - was that related to this?

Yup. Then planned to bomb Strasburg famous "christmas fair" (marché de noel, don't know how to translate that in english)

Btw I remember a comic by Enki Bilal (called Le sommeil du monstre) in which a terrorist group called "Obscurantis order" blast many famous monuments, including the eiffel tower.
It had been written 5 years before the name "Al Quaeda" become famous...