Get PolitiFact in your inbox.

First responders salute as a U.S. flag is unfurled at the Pentagon in Washington, Sept. 11, 2022 (AP) First responders salute as a U.S. flag is unfurled at the Pentagon in Washington, Sept. 11, 2022 (AP)

First responders salute as a U.S. flag is unfurled at the Pentagon in Washington, Sept. 11, 2022 (AP)

Gabrielle Settles
By Gabrielle Settles September 14, 2022

Plane debris was found at Pentagon after 9/11

If Your Time is short

  • There was clear evidence, including plane debris onsite, that an airplane crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11. 

  • More than 180 people died at the Pentagon that day.

A 9/11 conspiracy theory says evidence that a plane hit the Pentagon just doesn’t exist.

A Sept. 12 Instagram post shared a photo of the Pentagon after it had been struck in 2001, along with the words: "Never forget no plane debris was found at the Pentagon." The post also said, "There is no CCTV footage & trillions went missing from the budget." 

The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) The post was later removed from Instagram. 

The claim is unfounded. FBI photographs of the Pentagon from that day show the remnants of the American Airlines plane that flew into the building. It is among numerous conspiracy theories and false claims that have proliferated in the 21 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

This file photo taken on 9/11 shows impact on the Pentagon after a plane crashed into the building. Sept. 11, 2001 (AP) 

 

Featured Fact-check

The Pentagon was the third building hit during the attacks. The twin towers of the previous World Trade Center in New York City were hit just hours before. And a fourth plane that was en route to another target in Washington, D.C., crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after its passengers overtook the hijackers. 

Deaths at the Pentagon that day numbered 184; nearly 3,000 died in total during the entire attack. 

The second part of the claim — that there is no closed-caption TV footage and trillions went missing from the budget — also has been debunked by The Associated Press. 

There are photos of plane debris from the Pentagon on 9/11; we rate the claim that there was no plane debris Pants on Fire! 

RELATED: Yes, a plane crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001

Our Sources

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Gabrielle Settles

Plane debris was found at Pentagon after 9/11

Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!

In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.

Sign me up