Twenty-five years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, retired NYPD Detective Greg Semendinger has provided a rare look at the tragedy through a collection of aerial photographs he captured while serving as a police helicopter pilot. Though he was not an official department photographer, Semendinger habitually carried a camera to document his unit’s rescue operations, a practice that allowed him to record the unfolding catastrophe from the air.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Semendinger was preparing police helicopters at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn when the first reports of a crash emerged. Initially, many assumed a small private plane had struck the World Trade Center. However, upon stepping outside and observing the massive plume of smoke rising from the north tower against a clear blue sky, Semendinger immediately doubted the theory of a minor accident.
He and his partner, Jim Ciccone, were dispatched to the scene, arriving just eight minutes after the initial impact of the American Airlines Boeing 767. As they circled the burning structure in their helicopter, they conducted an L-shaped flight pattern to assess whether rooftop rescues were feasible, though they ultimately determined that landing was too dangerous. During this time, Semendinger captured images of the gaping hole in the north tower where the jet had struck between the 93rd and 99th floors.
The situation escalated rapidly at 9:03 a.m. when the second plane hit the south tower. Although Semendinger did not witness the second aircraft’s approach due to the buildings obstructing his view, the resulting explosion confirmed his fears of a coordinated terrorist attack. Shortly thereafter, the pair was briefly diverted to the Bronx to pick up a commanding officer, but they were already returning to Lower Manhattan when the south tower collapsed at 9:59 a.m.
By this time, Semendinger had switched to a Canon digital camera—one of the first models to feature built-in image stabilization, which proved crucial for capturing clear shots while navigating the turbulence of a helicopter. He documented the south tower’s collapse from a distance before returning to the north tower. Observing the structural integrity of the remaining building, he issued a radio warning, later cited in the book 102 Minutes, urging the evacuation of the surrounding area because he sensed the tower was nearing failure.
His photographs from that period captured harrowing details, including smoke pouring from gaps in the vertical steel columns. Semendinger noted that these gaps were actually people who had broken windows to signal for help or attempt to escape. He described the sight of individuals waving sheets and tablecloths as a wrenching final memory of the north tower before it fell at 10:28 a.m.
The resulting archive consists of approximately 150 images, which Semendinger has kept for two and a half decades. While some of these photos have appeared in books, news articles, and the 9/11 Memorial & Museum with his permission, many remained private until he recently shared the full collection. Now 77 years old and retired from the NYPD Aviation Unit since 2002, Semendinger reflected on the images during a recent interview, noting that the photos continue to transport him back to the events of that day.
Semendinger’s career with the NYPD spanned 35 years, including 18 years within the Aviation Unit. His documentation of the 9/11 attacks remains a significant historical record, providing a unique perspective on the destruction of the Twin Towers as the events unfolded over the course of 90 minutes. These images serve as a stark, frozen-in-time reminder of the horror witnessed by first responders on that morning. The report also notes that retired NYPD Detective Greg Semendinger was a helicopter pilot who took some of the only aerial photos of the Twin Towers’ destruction 25 years ago. The report also notes that he could see the giant gash where an airliner had sliced through seven floors near the top of the north tower, and black smoke was billowing out, as his chopper approached. The report also notes that he grabbed it and started snapping away. The report also notes that with his copilot at the controls and hovering above, Semendinger trained his lens as the second tower vaporized in a plunging cascade of debris, and an immense grey cloud mushroomed across Lower Manhattan. The report also notes that some of the photos he took 25 years ago have emerged into public view in various ways: appropriated by other people for their books; displayed in news articles in 2010; mounted in the 9/11 museum at Ground Zero with his permission. The report also notes that when he shared his trove with Network for 9/11 anniversary coverage, but many have remained unseen until recently. The report also notes that semendinger, now 77 and retired from the NYPD Aviation Unit since 2002, toggled through those stunning images on his laptop one August afternoon at the Long Island airport where he works. The report also notes that the horrific scenes he witnessed and preserved for history, he recounted his fateful flight as he clicked from one photo to the next.