What a Difference a Day Makes: Beverley Bass, American Airline's first female captain, recalls 9/11

American Airlines’ first female captain Beverley Bass piloted one of the planes that landed in Gander, Newfoundland, on 9/11. She tells Helen O’Callaghan how a song, chronicling her life in aviation – in a musical that pays tribute to the people of Gander – has changed her life.

American Airlines’ first female captain Beverley Bass piloted one of the planes that landed in Gander, Newfoundland, on 9/11. She tells Helen O’Callaghan how a song, chronicling her life in aviation – in a musical that pays tribute to the people of Gander – has changed her life.

I flew one of the 38 planes that landed in Gander, Newfoundland, on the morning of 9/11. Most of us thought we’d land, refuel and proceed onto our destinations, but that didn’t happen. We stayed in Gander for five days.

American Airlines had three airplanes landing in Gander that day. It’s a story we will share for the rest of our life. I was the only female pilot who landed there – and there were well over 100 pilots. I was captain of a Boeing 777 and American Airlines’ first female captain.