Reply #50: sheared in two? [View All]

[RH]

Yes, I'd have thought that the wing would rather shear the tree, but who knows? Maybe the tree was in fact the more resilient. Maybe the elasticity of wood is the crucial factor. The wing would also be affected when the engine on that side hit the generator

At any rate it accounts for the relatively slight damage to the Pentagon immediately behind the tree. I think it also explains why some parts of the fuselage would survive while others turned to confetti. If a branch of the tree sliced pieces from one side of the fuselage, it would buffer them from the eventual impact with the fatal masonry. The subsequent explosion would then scatter the parts every which way.