On the morning of September 11, 2001, a New York City Police Department helicopter pilot captured some of the only aerial photographs of the World Trade Center attacks as they unfolded. Retired NYPD detective and pilot Greg Semendinger documented the devastation from his helicopter, including the moments before and after the Twin Towers collapsed.
Twenty-five years after the attacks, Semendinger has shared a trove of previously unseen images with the USA TODAY Network for the 9/11 anniversary coverage. The photos, taken during his 90-minute flight over Lower Manhattan, provide a rare aerial perspective of the unfolding disaster, from the initial impact to the final collapse of the north tower.
Semendinger, then 52, was dispatched to the World Trade Center shortly after the first plane struck the north tower at 8:46 a.m.. As his helicopter approached, he observed the gash in the north tower’s upper floors and the black smoke billowing from the impact site. With his copilot at the controls, Semendinger began photographing the scene, capturing images of the second plane striking the south tower at 9:03 a.m. and the subsequent collapse of both structures.
The photos, some of which have been displayed in the 9/11 Museum at Ground Zero, show the plumes of debris and dust engulfing the area as the towers fell. Semendinger described the moment the south tower collapsed as a "plunging cascade of debris" that sent an "immense grey cloud mushrooming across Lower Manhattan." Many of the images remained unpublished until now, though some were later used in books and news articles.
In an interview with the USA TODAY Network, Semendinger recounted the harrowing experience, noting that he had always carried a camera to document his squad’s rescues. "This was taken right after the second plane hit," he said, pausing on one of the images. "We saw the initial devastation and knew it was unlike anything we’d ever witnessed."
The photographs offer a firsthand visual record of the attacks, complementing other documented perspectives, such as those taken by Washington Examiner photographer Graeme Jennings, who was on the ground in New York City that day. Jennings’ black-and-white images, also released to mark the 25th anniversary, depict the rubble surrounding the World Trade Center and notes honoring the victims.
Semendinger, now 77 and retired from the NYPD Aviation Unit since 2002, continues to work at a Long Island airport. His photographs serve as a historical testament to the events of that day, preserving the raw reality of the attacks for future generations.