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Pentagon&Boeing757
EngineInvestigation
I'veseenpicturesofenginewreckageatthePentagonafter9/11.Yoursitesaysthe
engineofa757isover6feetacrossbutthispieceiswaysmallerthanthat.Doesit
provethatwhateverhitthePentagonwasnota757andthegovernmentislyingabout
it?
questionfromLeroyMulligan
ThepageyourefertodiscussesthediameteroftheenginesusedaboardtheBoeing757.
Whatisnotexplicitlystatedinthatarticleisthatthedimensionsdiscussedreferonlytothe
maximumdiameteroftheengineandnotthewidthsofthevariouscomponentswithin.

Schematicofasimplejetengine

Inordertobetterunderstandthepartsofajetengineandhowthisformofpropulsionworks,
letusbrieflyrevisitthedifferenttypesofjetengines.Theearliestformofjetpropulsionwas
theturbojet.Thistypeofpowerplantemploysaseriesofcompressorbladesmountedon
rotatingdisksthatsqueezeincomingairtoahigherpressureandtemperature.The
compressedairisthenmixedwithfuelandignited.Thehightemperatureairpassesthrough
anotherseriesofrotatingbladescalledaturbine,whichcausesthisturbinetospin.The
turbinerotorsareattachedtoacentralshaftrunningthelengthoftheengine,sotheturbine's
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spinningmotioncausesthisshafttorotateaswell.Alsoattachedtothesamecentralshaftis
thecompressorsectionatthefrontoftheengine.Thisconnectionbetweentheturbineand
compressorsectionscausesthecompressorstagestocontinuespinning,bringingin
additionalairtokeeptheenginefunctioninginarepeatingcycle.Oncetheairflowmoves
pasttheturbines,itisexhaustedthroughanozzle.Theexpansionofthehighpressure
gasesagainstthenozzlewallscreatesthrustthatpushestheengineforward,aswellasthe
vehicleitisattachedto.
Anothertypeofjetthatissimilartobutmoreefficientthantheturbojetistheturbofan.A
turbofanusesthesamecomponentsdescribedabovewiththeadditionofalargefaninfront
ofthecompressorsection.Thisfanisconnectedtothesamecentralshaftthatturnsthe
compressorbladessothatthefanalsorotates.Asitdoesso,thefanacceleratesawide
columnofairtofurtherincreasethrust.Airpassingthroughthecenterportionofthefan
entersthecompressorwhereitmovesthroughthecoreoftheenginejustlikeonatypical
turbojet.Airacceleratedthroughthefan'souterdiameter,however,flowsaroundtheengine
corewithoutpassingthroughit.Thisprocesscanbebetterunderstoodbystudyingan
animationofairflowthroughaturbofan.
Therearetwobasictypesofturbofansthataredifferentiatedbytherelativeamountofair
thatflowsthroughthefanandaroundtheenginecoreversustheamountofairthatflows
throughthecoreitself.Aturbofanwithalowbypassratiomeansthatmostoftheairflowing
throughtheenginepassesthroughtheturbojetcoreandverylittlethroughtheouterfan
bypassduct.Suchenginesaremostcommononmilitarycombataircraftlikefighters.
Today'scommercialairlines,likethe757,areinsteadfittedwithhighbypassturbofan
engines.Ahighbypassturbofanconsistsofaverylargediameterfanandamuchsmaller
diameterturbojetcorewithin.

Comparisonofalowbypassturbofanwithlongductsandahighbypassturbofanwithshortducts

Asshownintheabovediagram,aturbofancontainsmanyrotatingcompressorandturbine
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disks,allofwhicharesmallerthanthefanatthefrontoftheengine.Therotarycomponents
withinahighbypassturbofan,inparticular,areoftenonlyasmallfractionofthefan
diameter.Mostspecificationsdescribingtheoverallsizeofanenginewilllistthefan
diametersincethismeasurementdefinestheengine'smaximumwidth.Ourearlierarticle
aboutthe757usesthisdimensiontocomparethediameteroftheenginenacelletothatof
thefuselage.
Withthatintroductionaside,let'stakeacloserlookatthespecificquestionofdebrisfoundat
thePentagonfollowingtheattackon11September2001.Whileresearchingthistopic,we
cameacrossmanywebsitesclaimingthatitwasnotAmericanAirlinesFlight77thatwas
hijackedandpurposefullycrashedintothePentagonduringtheterroristattackthatmorning.
Theauthorsofthesesitesinsteadbelievethatanyofavarietyofmilitaryaircraft,cruise
missiles,orotherweaponswereusedbytheUSgovernmenttoattackthePentagon,and
thestoriesofterroristhijackingsweresimplyacoverupforthesinisterscheme.

AmericanAirlinesBoeing757200withtailnumberN644AA

Accordingtotheacceptedstory,AmericanAirlinesFlight77washijackedbyfivealQaeda
terroristsasitwastravelingfromWashingtonDCtoLosAngeles.Theaircraftinvolvedinthis
hijackingwasaBoeingModel757200withtheBoeingcustomercode757223andthe
registrationnumberN644AA.ThissameaircraftispicturedaboveinaphototakenatLogan
InternationalAirportinBostonon7August2001.Theterroristssteeredtheplaneintothe
westsideofthePentagonkilling59passengersandcrewaswellas125victimsonthe
ground.
ThosewhodoubtthisversionofeventspointtowreckageatthePentagonasproofthat
someotherkindofaircraftormissilewasactuallyresponsiblefortheattack.Probablythe
onepieceofdebristhathaspromptedthemostdebateisthefollowingphotoofwhatlooks
likearotarydiskfromtheinterioroftheplane'sengine.Thisdiskcouldbepartofafan,a
compressor,oraturbinerotorfrominsidetheengine,butthebladesarenotpresentand
werepresumablyknockedoffintheimpact.

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RotatingenginediskvisibleatthePentagon

CloseupviewsofthePentagonenginecomponent

Basedonthesizesofthepersonstandingnexttothedebrisandotherobjectsinthe
photographsthatwecanuseforcomparison,ithasbeenestimatedthatthediskis
approximately25to30inches(63.5to76.2cm)across.Obviously,thispieceisfarsmaller
thanthemaximumenginediameterof6feet(1.8m)ormoreleadingmanytodrawthe
conclusionthattheitemisnotfroma757engine.Thatconjecturecausesconspiracy
theoriststobelievethatamuchsmallervehiclemusthavestruckthePentagoninstead.
However,wehavealreadyseenthatrotatingcomponentswithinaturbofanenginecanvary
widelyinsize.Inordertodeterminewhetherthiscomponentcouldhavepossiblycomefrom
a757,weneedtotakeacloserlookattheengineinstalledaboardtheaircraftregistered
N644AA.Boeingofferedtwodifferentengineoptionstocustomersofthe757200.Airlines
couldchoosebetweenthePratt&WhitneyPW2000familyortheRollsRoyceRB211series.
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TheparticularenginemodelchosenbyAmericanAirlinesforits757fleetwastheRB211
535E4BtripleshaftturbofanmanufacturedintheUnitedKingdom.Adrawingillustratingthe
overallsizeofthisengineispicturedbelow.

DiagramoftheRollsRoyceRB211535turbofan

Notetherelativesizesoftheforwardportionofthisenginecomparedtothecentralcore.
Clearly,thesectionhousingthefanismuchwiderthantheturbojetcorethatcontainsthe
compressorandturbinecomponents.Wecangetaclearerviewoftherelativesizesof
componentswithinthisengineinthefollowingcutawaydrawingoftheRB211535.

CutawayoftheRollsRoyceRB211535turbofan

UsingtheseimagesandotherdiagramsoftheRB211535engine,wecanobtain
approximatedimensionsoftheengine'srotarydisksforcomparisontotheitemfoundinthe
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Pentagonrubble.Ourbestestimateisthattheengine'stwelvecompressordiskhubs
(withoutbladesattached)areabout36%thewidthofthefan.Thefiveturbinediskhubs
appeartobeslightlysmalleratapproximately34%thefandiameter.AccordingtoBrassey's
WorldAircraft&SystemsDirectoryandJane's,thefandiameteroftheRB211535E4B
engineis74.5inches(189.2cm).Itthenfollowsthatthecompressordiskhubsare
approximately27inches(69cm)acrosswhiletheturbinediskhubsareabout25inches
(63.5cm)indiameter.Bothofthesedimensionsfitwithintherangeofvaluesestimatedfor
theenginecomponentpicturedinthewreckageatthePentagon.
Wecantakethisanalysisastepfurtherbyalsoexploringsomeofthealternatetheoriesthat
havebeenputforwardbythosebelievingthisobjectcomesfromadifferentaircraft.Twoof
themostcommonclaimswehaveseensuggestthattheplaneusedintheattackwasa
DouglasA3SkywarriororaNorthropGrummanRQ4GlobalHawk.TheA3isanairborne
jammingaircraftoriginallyorderedbytheUSNavyduringthe1950s.Thetypeisnowretired
fromfrontlineservicethoughahandfularestillusedfortestingpurposesbythedefense
contractorRaytheon.TheGlobalHawkisanunmannedaerialvehicleusedbytheAirForce
forreconnaissancemissions.Neitheroftheseplanesbearsmorethanasuperficial
resemblancetothe757,butwewillacceptthepossibilitythattheycouldbemistakenfora
commercialairlinergiventheconfusiononSeptember11.
Forthesakeofthisinvestigation,theonlyissueweshallconsideristheenginesthatpower
bothplanes.TheA3wasequippedwithtwoPratt&WhitneyJ57turbojetslikethatpictured
below.TheJ57datestotheearly1950sandisratherantiquatedbytoday'sstandards.

Pratt&WhitneyJ57turbojet

Forsomereason,mostoftheconspiratorialsitesinsteadmakeextensivereferencetotheA
3beingpoweredbyaPratt&WhitneyJT8Dengine.Moreover,thesesitesclaimthatthe
JT8Disaturbojet.TheJT8Disactuallyalowbypassturbofanthatwasdevelopedforuse
aboardcommercialaircraftlikethe727and737.Wehavenotfoundanysourcethat
indicatestheJT8DwaseverusedontheA3Skywarrior,soitisunclearwhytheoriginators
oftheA3theoryaresoinfatuatedwiththisparticularpowerplant.Nevertheless,wewill
includeitinourinvestigationforcompleteness.

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Pratt&WhitneyJT8Dturbofan

TheGlobalHawk,meanwhile,ispoweredbyasingleRollsRoyceAE3007Hturbofan.The
AE3007isbuiltbytheAllisonEnginedivisionofRollsRoycelocatedinIndianapolis,Indiana.

RollsRoyceAE3007turbofan

Usingphotosandcutawaydrawingsofthesethreeengines,wecanestimatethediameters
ofthecompressorandturbinerotorhubsjustaswedidfortheRB211.Whilethe
compressorandturbinedisksontheJ57andJT8Darelargerbypercentagethanthoseof
theRB211,themaximumdiametersofallthreeenginesareconsiderablysmalleras
summarizedinthefollowingtable.
Engine

OverallDiameter

PWJ57
PWJT8D

40.5in(102.9cm)
49.2in(125cm)

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CompressorHubDiameter TurbineHubDiameter
(estimated)
(estimated)
16in(40.6cm)
21.5in(54.6cm)

18in(45.7cm)
22.5in(57.1cm)
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RRAE3007H 43.5in(110.5cm)

14in(35.6cm)

15in(38.1cm)

Thisanalysisindicatesthatallthreeoftheseenginesaretoosmalltomatchtheengine
componentphotographedatthePentagon.Somesitesalsosuggestthepartmightbefrom
theaircraft'sauxiliarypowerunit(APU).AnAPUisessentiallyasmalljetenginemountedin
thetailofanaircraftthatprovidesadditionalpower,particularlyduringanemergency.
However,APUstendtobemuchsmallerthanjetengines,andthecomponentpicturedat
thePentagonistoolargetomatchanyfoundinanAPU.Ithasalsobeensuggestedthatthe
attackwasconductedbyacruisemissileliketheTomahawkorStormShadow,butthese
andotherweaponsarepoweredbyenginesnomorethan15inches(38cm)across.These
powerplantsareobviouslyfartoosmalltoaccountforthePentagonwreckage.
Whateverpiecethisis,itappearstobeonlythecentralhubofacompressororturbine
stage.Normally,eachoftheserotatingstageswouldbefittedwithseveralcurvedblades
mountedalongitscircumference.Thesebladeswereapparentlyknockedofftherotorhub
foundinthewreckageduetotheforceoftheimpact.Thelossofthesebladesisunfortunate
sincedifferentmanufacturersoftenadoptuniqueshapesfortheirfan,compressor,and
turbinebladesthatwouldmakethesourceofthecomponentmucheasiertoidentify.
Nonetheless,wehavebeenabletolocatethefollowingpictureoftheintermediatepressure
compressorsectionoftheRB211thatappearstomatchseveralcharacteristicsofthe
Pentagondebris.NotethatthisphotoappearstobefromtheRB211524whichisan
upratedrelativeoftheRB211535usedontheBoeing747and767.Thisenginemodel
containssevenintermediatepressurecompressorstagescomparedtothesixoftheRB211
535.However,thecompressordisksusedonbothenginesarebelievedtobenearly
identical.

ComparisonofintermediatepressurecompressorstagesontheRB211tothewreckage

Onesimilaritybetweenthetwophotoscanbeseeninthecleatsalongtheedgeofthe
Pentagonobject.Thesedevicesarecalleddovetailslotsandprovideattachmentpointsfor
thecompressorblades.TheshapesoftheseslotsonthePentagonwreckageappearto
matchthoseontheRB211assemblyshownontheleft.Furthermore,the"nosepiece"jutting
outfromthecenterofthediskinthePentagonphotosharescommonalitieswiththecentral
shaftvisibleintheRB211photo.
TheaboveanalysisindicatesthatthePentagondebrisdoesinfactmatchthecharacteristics
ofarotordiskfromtheRollsRoyceRB211535.Thewreckageismostlikelyacompressor
stagegiventheshapeofthedovetailslots.Itisdifficulttobecertainexactlywhich
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compressordiskitissincethesixrotorsoftheintermediatepressuresectionandsixhigh
pressurecompressordisksareofsimilarsize.Theprimarydifferencefromonecompressor
tothenextisthesmallerspanofthecompressorbladesastheairflowsfurtherintothe
engine,butthesebladesarenolongerattachedtothewreckage.However,additionalclues
inthephotosuggesttherotordiskisprobablyfromthehighpressuresectionorperhapsthe
verylastdiskoftheintermediatepressurecompressors.
Webelievethediskismostlikelyahighpressurecompressorbecauseoftheshapeofthe
piecejuttingfromitscenter.Thisitemispartofthecentralshaftthatrunsthelengthofthe
enginetoconnecttherotatingstagesofthefan,compressor,andturbine.TheRB211is
describedasatripleshaftortriplespoolturbofansinceitusesthreeconcentricshaftsto
drivethevariousrotatingelementsoftheengine.Theseshaftsaredifferentiatedbythe
relativepressureofthegasespassingthroughtherotorstagesattachedtothem.The
longestshaftwiththesmallestdiameterlocatedclosesttothecenterlineconnectsthelow
pressure(LP)enginecomponents.ThisshaftisrotatedbytheLPturbines,locatedjust
aheadofthenozzle,anddrivesthelargefanatthefrontoftheengine.

RB211schematicillustratingthelow,intermediate,andhighpressureshafts

TheLPshaftrotateswithinashorter,largerdiametershaftthatdrivestheintermediate
pressure(IP)system.ThisshaftrotatesatahigherrateandconnectstheIPturbinestageto
thesixIPcompressordisks.Thethirdconcentricshaftistheshortestwiththelargest
diameterandhighestrateofrotationtodrivetheengine'shighpressure(HP)system.This
shaftconnectstheHPturbinetothesixHPcompressors.Thedebrisphotographedatthe
Pentagonappearstobeconnectedtothreeconcentricshaftsofincreasingdiameter,
suggestingthatitmostlikelycomesfromthehighpressuresystemofatriplespoolturbofan
liketheRB211535.
Alternatively,thisdiskcouldbethelastoftheintermediatepressurecompressorrotorsand
thelargerdiametershaftweseemightbethestartoftheshaftonwhichthehighpressure
compressorsaremounted.Ifaphotooftheoppositesideofthediskwereavailable,it
shouldbeeasiertotellexactlywhichsectionofcompressorsitcomesfrom.Nevertheless,
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theevidencedocumentedaboveclearlyshowsthatthesizeandshapeofthisdebrisis
consistentwiththeRB211turbofancarriedbya757butnotsowithenginesusedaboard
smalleraircraftandmissiles.
Sincethisarticlewasfirstpublished,wehavereceivedseveralcommentsfromreaders
citingaquotefromRollsRoycespokesmanJohnW.Brownwhosaid,"Itisnotapartfrom
anyRollsRoyceenginethatI'mfamiliarwith..."Thecriticsgoontosuggestthatthis
statementdisprovesallofouranalysisindicatingthediskisacompressorstagefromthe
RollsRoyceRB211535.However,asimplereviewofthesourceofthisquoteshowsjust
theopposite.Thematerialisfromanarticletitled"ControversySwirlingOverSeptember11
PentagonMystery:IndustryExpertsCan'tExplainPhotoEvidence"writtenbyChristopher
BollynthatappearedontheproconspiracywebsiteAmericanFreePress.
ThearticledescribesJohnBrownasaspokesmanforRollsRoyceinIndianapolis,Indiana.
ThislocationishometotheAllisonEnginefactorythatbuildstheAE3007Hturbofanused
aboardtheGlobalHawk.Brown'squoteregardingthemysterywreckagestatesthat,"Itis
notapartfromanyRollsRoyceenginethatI'mfamiliarwith,andcertainlynottheAE3007H
madehereinIndy."Furthermore,thearticlecorrectlynotesthattheRB211isnotbuiltin
IndianapolisbutattheRollsRoyceplantinDerby,England.SinceBrownisaspokesmanfor
AllisonEngines,whichwasanindependentcompanythatonlybecameasubsidaryofRolls
Roycein1995,itstandstoreasonthatanenginebuiltintheUnitedKingdomwouldbeone
he'snot"familiarwith."ThearticleevengoesontopointoutthatBrowncouldnotidentify
specificpartsfromoneengineoranothersinceheisnotanengineerorassemblyline
technicianwhowouldbefamiliarwiththeinternalcomponentsofturbineengines.
Forwhatit'sworth(anditisn'tworthmuch,giventheauthor'sapparentlackofjournalistic
skill),theBollynarticleactuallysupportstheevidenceassembledonthissite.Thearticle
providesquotesfromHoneywellAerospaceindicatingthatthepiecedidnotcomefroman
APU,fromAllisonEnginessuggestingthatitisnotacomponentfoundintheturbofanused
onGlobalHawk,andfromTeledyneContinentalMotorsindicatingthatitisnotpartofa
cruisemissileengine.Alloftheseconclusionsmatchthoseexplainedabove.
Perhapsanevenmoreconclusivepieceofwreckagewasfoundamongotherdebris
photographedatthePentagonfollowingtheimpact.Thecomponentshownbelowhas
appearedonseveralconspiracytheorywebsitesclaimingthatitdoesnotmatchanyknown
componentoftheRB211andmustcomefromadifferenttypeofengine.

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AnotherpieceofenginedebrisfoundatthePentagon

Thisitemappearstobepartofthecasingofthecombustionsection.Thisportionofajet
engineislocatedaftofthecompressors,anditisherethatthehighpressureairismixed
withfuelandignited.Thecircumferenceofthiscircularcasingcontainsseveralholes
throughwhichfuelinjectorsspraythejetfuelneededforcombustion.Thenumber,size,and
shapeofthesenozzleholesisgenerallyuniquetoaparticularenginetypeandcanbeused
toidentifytheenginemodelitcomesfrom.Basedonthecurvatureofthedebris,thepiece
shownhereappearstobeabouthalfofthetotalcombustorcase.Wecancountsixnozzle
portsalongitscircumferencefromtheregionnearesttheflooraroundtothetop,which
representsaboutonethirdofthetotalcase.Wecanalsoseesixscrewholesalongthe
circumferenceofeachnozzleportthatareusedtoattachthefuelinjectors.
ThebestphotoswehavefoundillustratingthedesignofthispartontheRB211535series
enginecomefromtheBoeing757maintenancemanual.Adiagramfromthismanualshown
belowillustratescomponentsoftheRB211535highpressuresystemanditslocation
relativetotherestoftheengine.

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ComponentsoftheRB211535illustratedinthe757maintenancemanual

Anevenbettercloseupviewofthecombustioncaseisprovidedbelow.Notetheoverall
designpatternofthefuelinjectorportsincludingtheshapeoftheholes,thespacing
betweenthem,andtheirrelativesizescomparedtothediameterofthecaseitself.Alsonote
thelocationsofthesixscrewholesaroundthecircumferenceofeachnozzleport.There
alsoappeartobeatotalof18injectorholesaroundthecircumferenceofthiscasing,andsix
oftheseholescanbefoundoveronethirdofthecasediameter.Allofthesemeasurements
matchupperfectlytothePentagonphoto.

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RB211535combustionoutercase

Insummary,wehavestudiedtwokeypiecesofwreckagephotographedatthePentagon
shortlyafterSeptember11andfoundthemtobeentirelyconsistentwiththeRollsRoyce
RB211535turbofanenginefoundonaBoeing757operatedbyAmericanAirlines.The
circularenginediskdebrisisjusttherightsizeandshapetomatchthecompressorstagesof
theRB211,anditalsoshowsevidenceofbeingattachedtoatripleshaftturbofanlikethe
RB211.WhilemanyhaveclaimedthewreckageinsteadcomesfromaJT8DorAE3007H
turbofan,wehaveshownthattheseenginesaretoosmalltomatchthedebris.Furthermore,
wehavestudiedwhatclearlylooksliketheoutershellofacombustioncaseandfoundthat
itsfuelinjectornozzleportsmatchupexactlytothoseillustratedinBoeingdocumentationfor
theRB211535engine.Thereissimplynoevidencetosuggesttheseitemscamefromany
otherenginemodelthantheRB211535,andthevastmajorityoftheseenginesareonly
usedononetypeofplanetheBoeing757.
Nonetheless,thevarioussiteswehavediscoveredoverthecourseofansweringthis
questionraiseanumberofotherquestionsaboutpiecesofwreckagefoundatthecrashsite.
Whilethisarticlefocusedonlyontheenginedebrisaskedaboutintheoriginalquestion,we
mayrevisitthissubjectinthefuturetobetterexploretheclaimsofaPentagoncoverup
followingSeptember11.
answerbyJoeYoon
answerbyJeffScott,12March2006
Update!
Onecommonquestionwe'veseenonsitescriticalofaBoeing757strikingthePentagonis
whyistheresolittleenginewreckage.Theonlyidentifiableenginecomponentsseensofar
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arethetwodiscussedabove.Sincethesepiecesrepresentsolittleofthetwolargeengines
carriedbya757,thosebelievinginconspiracysuggestthatthesesmallitemswereplanted
andthelackofmoresubstantialdebrisisproofofacoverup.Ifa757trulyhitthePentagon,
theyargue,thenwhereistherestofthetwoengines?Thisargumentignoresthesimplefact
thatalackofphotosofotherenginepartsdoesnotmeanthatnoneexisted,onlythatother
enginecomponentswereeithernotphotographedorthephotoshavenotyetbeenreleased.
Luckily,severalreadershavepointedoutanadditionalpicturethatwasreleasedasan
exhibitduringtheZacariasMoussaouiterroristtrialin2006.Thisphoto,shownbelow,clearly
includesasizeableandrelativelyintactportionofagasturbineengine.

PieceofenginedebrisphotographedatthePentagon

Thisdebrisappearstocontaintworotatingenginediskswithpartoftheengine'scentral
shaftprotrudingforward.Behindthetwodisksisanothercomponentcalledaframe.Frames
arefixed,nonrotatingcomponentsthatprovideattachmentpointsholdingtheengine
together.Thisdebrismustcomefromtheaftsectionofanenginegiventheshapeofthe
bladeattachmentpointsvisblealongthecircumferenceofthetworotatingdisks.These
attachmentshaveahighlycambered,orcurved,bananalikeshapeindicativeoftheblades
usedintheturbinesectionofajetengine.Thebladesusedonfanandcompressorstages,
bycomparison,haveamuchstraighterandlesscurvedshape.

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Closerviewoftheturbinesectiondebris

TheRB211535engineusedonthe757containsfiveturbinedisksthreelowpressure
turbinesthatpowerthefan,oneintermediatepressureturbinedrivingtheintermediate
pressurecompressors,andonehighpressureturbinethatturnsthehighpressure
compressors.Thedebrisshownherecontainstwoofthethreelowpressureturbinesand
possiblytheremainsofthethird.Theprotrudingshaftalsoappearstobecomposedoftwo
separateshaftsofdifferingdiameter.Asmallportionoftheinnershaft,fromtheengine'slow
pressuresystem,appearstoprotrudefrominsideasecondlargerdiametershaft
surroundingit.Thislargerdiametershaftcorrespondstotheintermediatepressuresystem
andwouldconnecttoanadditionalturbinediskthatisnolongerattached.
ThoughitisdifficulttoconclusivelyidentifythesecomponentsaspartofanRB211535
enginewithoutbetterpicturesofanintactengineforcomparison,perhapsthemost
identifiableobjectshownindebrisistheaftframe.Alongthecircumferenceofthisframeare
severalfixedbladescalledstatorsthathelpguidetheairasitflowsthroughtheengine.We
canseetheremainsoffourofthesestatorsinthephotooveraboutathirdofitsdiameter.

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CutawaydiagramoftheRB211535fittedtoaBoeing757

TheaboveillustrationfromRollsRoyceshowsanothercutawayoftheRB211535that
providesagoodviewoftheinternalcomponentsoftheengine.Inparticular,notetheframe
justaftoftheturbinestages.Thespacingofthestatorvanesshownherematchesthose
seeninthePentagonphotowellandprovidesadditionalevidencethatthedebrisisinfact
fromanRB211engine.

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RB211highpressuresystemcontainingsixcompressordisks,combustors,andaturbinedisk

Togiveabetterideaofhowthethreeenginecomponentswehavediscussedrelatetoone
another,theaboveimageshowsadiagramofthehighpressuresystemwithintheRB211
535engine.AlsoincludedaretheobjectsidentifiedinthePentagonwreckageandtheir
relativelocationswithintheengine.Asdiscussedinthemainarticle,allthreeofthesepieces
ofdebrisareidenticalmatchestooratleastconsistentwiththecomponentsfoundinthe
RollsRoyceRB211535turbofanaboardaBoeing757.
answerbyJeffScott,6May2006
RelatedTopics:
I'vereadthatthewheelphotographedatthePentagondoesn'tmatchaBoeing757.It
haseightholesinitbutthewheelona757hastenholes....Lookatthesepicturesof
landinggearfromthecrashatthePentagonanda757.TheyPROVEa757didn'thit
thePentagon!
Intheaftermathof9/11,Ihaveheardmanyclaimsthata757couldnotpossiblehave
hitthePentagonbecausetheplanecannotflysolowtothegroundsincegroundeffect
preventsthisfromhappening.Isthereanytruthtothisclaim?...Idon'tthinkanypilot
couldcontrolanaircraftlikethatandhitthePentagon.No757couldflylikethat,
especiallytheterroristsupposedlyflyingFlight11whowasanunskilledamateurpilot
yetmagicallyflewwithtotalperfection.
IheardabigplanehittheEmpireStateBuildinginWorldWarII.Whydidn'tthe
skyscrapercollapseliketheWorldTradeCenterdid?
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