When the Planes Came to Gander: A Flight Attendant’s 9/11 Story | Sharlene Bowen

On September 11, 2001, with U.S. airspace closed after the terrorist attacks, dozens of transatlantic flights were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland. Thousands of passengers and crew from around the world landed in the small town, nearly doubling its population within minutes. Their story later inspired the Broadway musical Come From Away.

In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum welcomes her sister, Sharlene Bowen, who was working as a flight attendant aboard Delta Flight 15 from Frankfurt, Germany, to Atlanta when the plane was ordered to land in Gander. Sharlene recalls spending 30 hours grounded on the tarmac with little information, the moment she finally saw the attacks on television, and the note that led her to Constable Oswald “Oz” Fudge and a hug Sheryl sent from Atlanta. Over the next five days, she watched the people of Gander open their schools, homes, and churches to the “plane people," as the locals called them.

Highlights:

(0:00) Sheryl introduces the story of Gander, Newfoundland, and her sister Sharlene Bowen’s experience on September 11, 2001

(3:00) Sharlene remembers when an ordinary flight from Frankfurt to Atlanta suddenly changed and the crew learned something had happened in New York

(7:00) “All US airspace has been closed.” The announcement that silenced an entire cabin

(11:45) How passengers and crew worked together during 30 hours aboard the grounded plane●

(16:00) Why every passenger had to be cleared before leaving the aircraft and how Gander prepared for thousands of unexpected guests

(20:45) Sharlene finally sees the attacks on a TV at Walmart more than a day after they happened

(23:00) A note and a police hat lead Sharlene to Oz Fudge and a message from her sister

(28:00) Teenagers give free rides, Walmart hands over its keys, and the hockey rink becomes the town’s refrigerator

(36:45) Local teenagers create a special experience for stranded Make-A-Wish kids who missed their trip to Disney World