'Never seen' helicopter footage from 9/11 shows devastating impact of attack from the sky

Terrifying footage taken from the sky during 9/11 has surfaced on social media and highlights the devastating impact of the terrorist attacks.

The 9/11 attacks are regarded as one of the deadliest in history, claiming the lives of 2,977 victims, while first responders still alive are still dealing with the adverse health effects from working in the toxic conditions.

Hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center complex in New York City on September 11, 2001, with the world standing still in the days and weeks that followed.

In the years that followed, more and more unseen footage from the day has surfaced on social media, with a recent YouTube video sharing a man's view from a rooftop on the fateful day.

And now, a viral post on X, formerly known as Twitter, has shared some footage which was 'never-before-seen' by plenty of users, which shows a helicopter circling the towers on the day that they were hit, looking for any opportunity to rescue those who were tragically trapped inside.

The footage originally comes from a National Geographic documentary called 9/11: One Day in America, which was released in 2021, two decades on from the tragedy.

I've watched loads of documentaries about 9/11 since 2001. I've never seen these images from the helicopter before (none that I can remember anyway). These are pretty crystal clear considering the technology at the time.

Can anyone else rememeber seeing this footage? pic.twitter.com/P83CaFS9I9

— Sassy red socks (@Twitawoo8) May 27, 2025

Bill Kennedy, who was with the Emergency Service Unit of the NYPD and was flying in the helicopter on the day, says in the documentary: "In 1993 we were able to rescue people off the roof, so having experienced this somewhat before, we thought it would be the same game plan.

"I had so much confidence in the skill of this pilot flying this helicopter, that I was thinking if there's someone there, we are going to be able to get them off.

"But as we're approaching you can start to see the size and scope of this. First thing we did is survey the rooftops of both the north and the south tower.

"The south tower, the amount of smoke that was billowing up and coming over the roof, it was out of play.

"We proceeded over to the north tower, and there was an opening by the north west corner.

"I could make out the individual pebbles on the roof, that's how close we were.

"We continued circling the towers, if we had seen someone there, we would have tried, but there was nobody up there.

"My heart just sunk into my stomach, and I'm looking out the window of the helicopter and I'm seeing people. I'm seeing mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, literally standing on the damaged portion of the building waving white handkerchiefs and tablecloths and napkins to let us know we need assistance. 'Can you help us?'

"There were so many, but there's nothing you can do. You're witnessing it and watching it."

Eventually, the helicopter was forced to fly away, as it would have been too dangerous for a rescue attempt.

Lt. Glen Daley, a pilot for the NYPD's aviation unit who was at the command centre during the attacks, explained to ABC why there was no chance of helicopter rooftop rescues on September 11.

He said that along with the smoke and extreme heat, 'add to that scenario hundreds of thousands of pounds of jet fuel as an accelerant to the fire'.

He added: "Multiply the heat factor... now you've got the worst of all possible situations playing themselves out.

"People may have in their mind's eye a view of this pristine roof, salvation. Those roofs were totally compromised and with thick, acrid, black smoke, intense heat coming up from the fire."