The first air disaster I was personally involved with was United Flight 232 scheduled from Denver to Chicago on July 19, 1989. En route it was forced to make a crash landing in Sioux City, Iowa. In simple terms, the crash of the DC-10 was caused by three hydraulic systems lines being severed from shrapnel from tail engine failure fragments. This led to catastrophic loss of hydraulic fluids and multiple system failures, which lead to a very rough crash landing.
I was working at the San Francisco Airport in the Education Department at the time. United had had other crashes since I had begun my career. When these occurred, I felt helpless. I was an employee, but I could do nothing to help in those situations. I could only wait to hear news or details through company announcements or TV broadcasts.
In this case, however, I was asked by my boss Helen if I wished to go to Chicago to the Emergency Center to assist in post-crash duties. This included calling the families of those passengers involved with the crash. I said, "Yes." When I arrived in Chicago, I found my assignment was to advise three separate families of the condition of their loved ones. Then I would advise them regarding personal belongings and make funeral arrangements, if necessary.
A temporary morgue had been set up in Sioux City to identify those who had
perished. In the end, 185 passengers miraculously survived, but 111 had not. I had to ask my families for dental records and other identifying information to help the process. It took time to determine, but all three of my passengers had perished. It was not good news, but it was some amount of closure for the families when they finally received my phone calls. It is one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life, but at least I was able to do something.
After I informed the families, I was tasked with setting up transport of the bodies, making funeral arrangements, and getting recovered luggage and personal items back to the families. In those five days of working with them over the phone, we became very close. Family stories and intimate information passed back and forth, crying together, as though they were my own family. I did not keep in contact with them after my work was done, but got heart-warming thank you notes from each one.
Although I was an airline employee in Reservations, airport Customer Service, and Customer Service Education, I had always been an uneasy flight tripper. After the above event, it became worse. If Mike was not next to me on a flight to squeeze my hand, I would sometimes asked a seat-mate stranger if I could at least touch pinkies, just to have human contact (especially on take off). I needed a physical and human connection. To this day, I find it very hard to take a flight, although it hasn't stopped me totally.
I was now working at the United Maintenance Base located at San Francisco Airport. I helped schedule training for the nearly 20,000 aircraft mechanics around the world. Our base also handled periodic aircraft training and maintenance for the entire company fleet. Because we made training videos, we had a TV in our offices for training use only.
That fateful day, American Airlines Flight 11 was the first to crash. It was schedule to travel from Boston Logan Airport to Los Angeles. But instead, at 8:46am, it flew into floors 93-99 of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, killing 92 people (including the al-Qaeda hijackers), as well as hundreds inside the building. We turned on the training TV as soon as we heard this inconceivable news.
Just minutes later at 9:03am, United Flight 175 scheduled from Boston to Los Angeles crashed into the WTC's South Tower at floors 75-85. Sixty-five passengers plus those in the tower perished.
At 9:59am the South Tower collapsed. Watching this on TV, of course, we were stunned beyond belief. At that point, all was silent, except my uncontrollable crying.
Then at 9:37am, hijackers on American Flight 77 from Washington Dulles Airport bound for Los Angeles crashes into the western side of the Pentagon. On board, 59 of 64 passengers were killed, as well as 125 personnel from inside the building.
United Flight 93 scheduled from Newark NJ to San Francisco was also hijacked by al-Qaeda. About 40 minutes into the flight, the hijackers overpowered the crew and diverted the aircraft toward the East Coast. Its final target destination is not known, but it is believed to be the White House or the Capital Building.
After the hijackers took control, the cabin flight crew and some passengers made telephone contact and learned of the WTC flight implosions. They decided to take back control of the airplane, but in the process it crashed in near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. At 10:07am, all 44 people were killed. Of the four aircraft hijackings, this was the only one that did not hit its targeted destination.
At 10:28am the North Tower collapses. At 5:20pm the 47-story Seven World Trade Center collapses. All had been evacuated, but nearby rescue workers fled for their lives. Thankfully, that was the last of the mayhem on this day.
Everyone at work was inconsolable, speechless, helpless. My boss Ben and his wife Judy had both grown up in and around NYC. He was especially touched, but he kept strong for the rest of us. We set aside our work for the day. He allowed us to go home if we wanted, to be with our families. I'm not sure if I was the only one, but I did go home. I could not stop crying and was definitely no help at the office.
The next day I told Ben that I could come back to work but that I didn't think I could keep it together. I did not know any of the flight crew or passengers on the two United planes, but this was my company, my family. It was personal. He said, "You may not be ill physically, but you are emotionally wounded. Stay home, until you feel well enough to come back." I remained in bed and cried continuously for two more days.
When I finally did go back to work, our work group came together, hugged, cried a bit more, and tried to get back to our normal routine. We were wounded warriors, but we were also tough.
As I had "experience" in such matters, I thought headquarters might call to ask me to notify families again. I told Ben, that if I was asked, that I could not do it this time. I don't know if they ever called. If they did, Ben kept it to himself. Best boss ever for getting us through the above and for many, many other reasons. Miss that guy and some many other great folks I have worked with in the past.
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