The Twin Towers took different amounts of time to collapse after being struck by the hijacked airplanes on September 11, 2001:
- The North Tower (WTC 1) was hit at 8:46 a.m. and collapsed at 10:28 a.m., burning for about 1 hour and 42 minutes before falling
- The South Tower (WTC 2) was hit at 9:03 a.m. and collapsed at 9:59 a.m., burning for approximately 56 minutes before collapsing
The collapses were progressive, starting with structural failures in the floors hit by the planes and then encompassing the entire buildings. The North Tower lasted longer due to the more central impact and somewhat more intact structural support compared to the South Tower, which was hit lower and off- center, causing quicker failure
