The second plane hit the World Trade Center’s South Tower at approximately 9:03 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) on September 11, 2001.

Key details

  • The second plane was United Airlines Flight 175, which struck the south face of the South Tower (WTC 2).
  • The impact occurred between roughly the 77th and 85th floors of the building.
  • This happened about 17 minutes after the first plane hit the North Tower at 8:46 a.m.

Brief context

Millions of people saw the second impact live on television because cameras were already trained on the North Tower after the first strike, which contributed to the immediate understanding that this was a coordinated attack rather than an accident.