Citgo video

In response to a FOIA request by Judicial Watch and a related request, the FBI released security video in September 2006 that was taken at a Citgo gas station near the Pentagon on 9/11.


The quality of the video is rather poor, with the screen showing split views of six cameras. Two are from inside the store, with the people there blurred for privacy reasons. The video doesn’t show anything clearly of the crash of American Airlines Flight 77. Though, at 4:43 in the video, a flash is visible in the upper right, which is probably the impact.

When the video was released, there was some discussion on Screw Loose Change and other sites of a white object moving across at the top of the upper-left screen in the Citgo security video at ~1:22. Upon further inspection of the video, I do not believe this is an airplane, but rather a truck or something going by on the road.

At 9:30 a.m., on September 11, 2001, the sun was positioned at an angle 124.6 East of North. (Source: [1]) Thus, the shadow from the gas station canopy should be offset towards the northwest. Second, take a look at where the gas station entrance is. The road that runs north-south across this map is S. Joyce Street, which takes one under I-395 and to Pentagon City. The only entrance to the Citgo is off of S. Joyce Street. Look at this still from the Citgo security video, and notice cars pulling in and out of the gas station entrance. Also, notice the position of the shadow from the gas station canopy.

The gas station entrance, shadow, and the orientation of the gas pumps tell me that the security camera was pointing away from the Pentagon entirely. The white object moving across the screen right-to-left at ~1:22 is likely just a truck going by on S. Joyce Street, heading towards Pentagon City. At ~1:30, there is something else that seems to move left-to-right. Probably more vehicles going by on S. Joyce Street. These can't possibly be an airplane, because the camera was not at all pointed towards the Pentagon nor the flight path that Flight 77 took approaching the Pentagon.

As for the white flash at 4:43, it is probably a reflection off of a utility pole.

At the corner of S. Joyce and Columbia Pike, there is a traffic signal. Probably the reflection is off of a traffic light or some other utility pole, from the explosion at the Pentagon. After that point with this flash, notice that people in the bottom two frames start running towards the window.

More pictures

Other information:

About

Flight77.info was originally run by Scott Bingham, but he apparently lost interest in maintaining the site and the domain expired in Fall 2007. At some cost, I have obtained the domain so that the security camera videos from the Pentagon, the Citgo, Doubletree Hotel, and the related documents from the FOIA requests will continue to be here for the long-term. Photos and other information about Flight 77 are also here.