09-11-01
09-11-01
It was a beautiful morning in Newark that morning. We had a 6:15 AM report time that morning, which meant an early wake up call by most peoples’ standards. On the van ride to the airport, I thought about our long duty day ahead: EWR-DAY-IAH-CAE...
Everything was normal that morning when we got to the airplane. The appropriate checklists were run and we taxied out from the old "D-pad" in EWR (now terminal C-3), around the corner, Bravo short of Mike. One word described the sunrise behind the World Trade Center that morning - magnificent. The Captain and I mentioned how we should have had a camera to capture the sunrise that morning (consequently, since then, I carry a camera in my flight case for "moments” like this).
We flew an uneventful flight to Dayton. Unbeknownst to us, the first plane had probably already hit the World Trade Center. We had arrived early, so the crew and I decided to walk around the terminal for the 10-15 minutes we had before our "long" flight back to IAH.
Another normal takeoff out of DAY on our way south. Right around PXV, we heard a United flight mention on center frequency that they would be diverting to Indy. Not something you hear every day - in the back of my mind I wondered what happened on their flight. Not long after that, a Northwest plane mentioned that they would be diverting to Indy as well. Hmmm. The Captain and I wondered if there was maybe weather in Chicago or Memphis?
What happened next forever engrained in my mind that I was part of the history of what happened that day. The center controller broadcasted, "Attention all aircraft..." (at this point I thought it was just a normal/typical Center Weather Advisory - boy was I wrong), "all aircraft in the air on frequency, by order of the FAA, must find the nearest suitable airport and land."
I was the non-flying pilot on this leg, so I sheepishly asked, "Does that include Jetlink xxxx?"
ATC replied: "Are you in the air?"
US: "Yes"
ATC: “Are you on this frequency?”
US: “Well… Ya”
ATC: "Then… Yes..."
US: "Mind if we ask why?"
ATC: "Due to terrorist activity at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon"
That's when a chill hit my entire body. We could have one of those "b-words" on board the plane. We called the flight attendant and she said everything was normal in the back.
From where we were, it looked like the closest place was BNA (Nashville, TN). We notified ATC of our intentions and they initially gave us a vector to the west to "fit us into the flow" for BNA. As we started turning back in the right direction, we get a SELCAL from dispatch, and they wanted us to divert to Memphis, TN.
Little did we know that Memphis was the most diverted-to airport in the United States.
We were one of the last flights into the airport, and there were more airplanes than I had ever seen all at one time at an airport. We had about 15 planes lined up on rwy 18C/36C. All of us did not know how the logistics were going to work on how to deplane our passengers. The ramp area was full. The gates were full...
After we were lined up in our temporary parking spot, I turned on my cell phone. Right at that point, my phone rang. It was my cousin who I don't talk to very often. He told me what happened. I was speechless. BOTH towers collapsed? The Pentagon's on fire? No way! I just saw the sunrise behind the twin towers this morning! After that phone call, the little envelope indicated I had VM. Wow. 7 messages. Messages from family and friends back in California - they all knew that I fly to the Northeast frequently, and they were all calling asking if I was all right.
I called my dad first. Now mind you, I've never heard or seen him cry in the 27 years that I had known him, but he cried on the phone that day. He thought I was THAT plane that hit. More phone calls returned... More bittersweet sighs of relief.
"Ding-dong" – the flight attendant calls us. Seems we have a guy from the FAA in the back that would like to talk to us... We jokingly thought - great, on top of all this we're gonna get ramp checked too? He was on the horn with his bosses and didn't tell us anything new - planes hit the WTC and Pentagon, and they think another just crashed near PIT.
Amazing. We were part of history that day.
It was surreal returning to EWR 2 weeks later. The twin towers were how I helped find the Newark airport! All we saw was smoke coming up from where they were...
For those people that have never been to NYC or seen those towers, images on a television don't do it justice. If you've never been there or seen them, I can understand how easy it is to forget what happened on that fateful day. As for me, I will NEVER FORGET...
Here's to all the souls lost that day. Thank you for your courage.
For all the people that continue to live life normally in the shadow of terrorism. Thank you for your courage.
WE WILL NEVER FORGET.
09-11-01
It was a beautiful morning in Newark that morning. We had a 6:15 AM report time that morning, which meant an early wake up call by most peoples’ standards. On the van ride to the airport, I thought about our long duty day ahead: EWR-DAY-IAH-CAE...
Everything was normal that morning when we got to the airplane. The appropriate checklists were run and we taxied out from the old "D-pad" in EWR (now terminal C-3), around the corner, Bravo short of Mike. One word described the sunrise behind the World Trade Center that morning - magnificent. The Captain and I mentioned how we should have had a camera to capture the sunrise that morning (consequently, since then, I carry a camera in my flight case for "moments” like this).
We flew an uneventful flight to Dayton. Unbeknownst to us, the first plane had probably already hit the World Trade Center. We had arrived early, so the crew and I decided to walk around the terminal for the 10-15 minutes we had before our "long" flight back to IAH.
Another normal takeoff out of DAY on our way south. Right around PXV, we heard a United flight mention on center frequency that they would be diverting to Indy. Not something you hear every day - in the back of my mind I wondered what happened on their flight. Not long after that, a Northwest plane mentioned that they would be diverting to Indy as well. Hmmm. The Captain and I wondered if there was maybe weather in Chicago or Memphis?
What happened next forever engrained in my mind that I was part of the history of what happened that day. The center controller broadcasted, "Attention all aircraft..." (at this point I thought it was just a normal/typical Center Weather Advisory - boy was I wrong), "all aircraft in the air on frequency, by order of the FAA, must find the nearest suitable airport and land."
I was the non-flying pilot on this leg, so I sheepishly asked, "Does that include Jetlink xxxx?"
ATC replied: "Are you in the air?"
US: "Yes"
ATC: “Are you on this frequency?”
US: “Well… Ya”
ATC: "Then… Yes..."
US: "Mind if we ask why?"
ATC: "Due to terrorist activity at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon"
That's when a chill hit my entire body. We could have one of those "b-words" on board the plane. We called the flight attendant and she said everything was normal in the back.
From where we were, it looked like the closest place was BNA (Nashville, TN). We notified ATC of our intentions and they initially gave us a vector to the west to "fit us into the flow" for BNA. As we started turning back in the right direction, we get a SELCAL from dispatch, and they wanted us to divert to Memphis, TN.
Little did we know that Memphis was the most diverted-to airport in the United States.
We were one of the last flights into the airport, and there were more airplanes than I had ever seen all at one time at an airport. We had about 15 planes lined up on rwy 18C/36C. All of us did not know how the logistics were going to work on how to deplane our passengers. The ramp area was full. The gates were full...
After we were lined up in our temporary parking spot, I turned on my cell phone. Right at that point, my phone rang. It was my cousin who I don't talk to very often. He told me what happened. I was speechless. BOTH towers collapsed? The Pentagon's on fire? No way! I just saw the sunrise behind the twin towers this morning! After that phone call, the little envelope indicated I had VM. Wow. 7 messages. Messages from family and friends back in California - they all knew that I fly to the Northeast frequently, and they were all calling asking if I was all right.
I called my dad first. Now mind you, I've never heard or seen him cry in the 27 years that I had known him, but he cried on the phone that day. He thought I was THAT plane that hit. More phone calls returned... More bittersweet sighs of relief.
"Ding-dong" – the flight attendant calls us. Seems we have a guy from the FAA in the back that would like to talk to us... We jokingly thought - great, on top of all this we're gonna get ramp checked too? He was on the horn with his bosses and didn't tell us anything new - planes hit the WTC and Pentagon, and they think another just crashed near PIT.
Amazing. We were part of history that day.
It was surreal returning to EWR 2 weeks later. The twin towers were how I helped find the Newark airport! All we saw was smoke coming up from where they were...
For those people that have never been to NYC or seen those towers, images on a television don't do it justice. If you've never been there or seen them, I can understand how easy it is to forget what happened on that fateful day. As for me, I will NEVER FORGET...
Here's to all the souls lost that day. Thank you for your courage.
For all the people that continue to live life normally in the shadow of terrorism. Thank you for your courage.
WE WILL NEVER FORGET.