Memories of 9-11 Linger for Longtime PIT Employees
Staff recall horrifying day full of confusion, but unwavering dedication to safety
By Matt Neistein
Published September 6, 2021
Read Time: 6 mins
As the sun rose on the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, life was humming along as usual. Children got ready for school, businesses prepared to open and flights were taking off and landing like clockwork at Pittsburgh International Airport.
At the time, PIT was a hub for US Airways, moving nearly 2 million passengers a month on more than 25 departing flights an hour, on average.
“It was just a normal day,” said Jack McGrogan, then a facilities supervisor for Terminal Maintenance.
Then American Airlines Flight 11—which had departed Logan International Airport in Boston with 92 people onboard—hit the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City at 8:46 a.m.
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Much like the rest of the world, information about the attack was slow to arrive at the airport. There were no smartphones or social media. Texting was still rare.
At that time, word of mouth was still the primary channel for immediate communication.
“The very first thing I heard was a coworker say to me, ‘Did you hear something about a plane going down in New York?’” said McGrogan.
Initial reports that the Flight 11 crash had been an accident quickly changed when United Airlines Flight 175, also headed from Boston to Los Angeles, struck the south tower of the WTC at 9:03 a.m. with 65 people onboard.

The American flag in front of PIT is lowered to half-staff every Sept. 11. (File photo)
At PIT, Dawn Bailey was talking with a coworker when someone told them what happened. They rushed to a TV to watch news coverage.
“It didn’t take long for other employees to find out what was happening,” said Bailey, who was responsible for parking and ground transportation at the time. “Most everyone was huddled around a TV or packing up their things to head home.”
Key staff members were summoned to the executive office to plan and execute crisis operations. Theresa Richardson worked in the reception area of the executive office at the time.
“We had a TV in the Executive Conference Room, and I heard voices coming from the conference room,” she said. “I went to investigate, and they had the TV on showing the attack on the Twin Towers in New York.
“When I first saw it, it looked like a little plane flying into the buildings. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”
Byron Harriger, a duty manager in Operations at the time, left for the Allegheny County Emergency Operations Center as the airport’s representative.
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In Pittsburgh, fear was particularly acute when American Airlines Flight 77, en route from Dulles International Airport to Los Angeles with 64 people onboard, was hijacked over Ohio, less than 200 miles southwest of the city.
At about the same time, United Flight 93 out of Newark was being hijacked just west of Cleveland and circling back east as well.
“I was both sickened and anxious as one of the hijacked planes was somewhat close to the airport,” said Bailey, who was particularly concerned because her brother-in-law was flying that morning, although not on one of the hijacked planes. “We didn’t know what to expect at that time.”
Across the U.S., rumors began to circulate that other prominent skyscrapers and landmarks were the next target.
“My memories probably center the most on working in the EOC and watching the second plane hit,” Harriger said. “Everyone was trying to track Flight 93 to see if it was going to hit the U.S. Steel Building in Pittsburgh.”
Several minutes after Flight 77 hit the Pentagon, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all civilian aircraft in the continental U.S. McGrogan and other members of the airport team were in the executive conference room trying to figure out next steps.
That team had to make room for unexpected landings and find secure ways to get people off those planes, as well as evacuate the airport itself.
“The building was filled with people asking questions and you didn’t always have the right answer or even an answer at that time,” McGrogan said.
Meanwhile, Flight 93 was headed toward Pittsburgh.
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PIT leaders were in the executive conference room, trying to make informed decisions to protect everyone at the airport, but like most of the nation, they knew very little about what was happening.
“We knew that Flight 93 was coming over Pennsylvania, but we couldn’t get any information,” McGrogan said. “We didn’t have anything for a while. We were just sitting in that room wondering, ‘Is it coming here?’”
That dread pervaded the terminals, Richardson said.
“I would have to say