Sunday, 5 September 2010

Deena Burnett remembers the call from her husband on Flight 93. The plane crashed, with no survivors, but the passengers’ calmness under extraordinary pressure prevented a greater tragedy.

Throughout our marriage, Tom and I always had this feeling that, one day, we were going to be caught up in something significant. I feared Tom was going to be in a plane crash – we’d even discussed what would happen if he was on a hijacked plane. He, meanwhile, always had this feeling that he’d be involved in “something big”, something involving the White House. But neither of us could ever have imagined the events of 9/11.

I got up at around 6am. It was my youngest daughter’s first day at pre-school, so she was very excited. We put on the television, and suddenly it was right there – a plane was flying through one of the towers of the World Trade Center. A few minutes later, another plane did the same. Like everyone else, I was shocked and horrified: but I was also desperately worried about Tom, because he was in New York. And then I remembered he was catching a plane that morning from Newark to San Francisco. I wondered what time he had to be at the airport, and hoped he was already out of New York City.

My mum phoned, and then my mother-in-law, both asking about Tom. Then I noticed another caller was waiting, and I told his mum I’d call her back and switched to the waiting call… and it was Tom. I heard his voice and I said: “Tom… you’re OK.” And he said: “No, I’m not. I’m on a hijacked airplane. It’s Flight 93, United Airlines Newark to San Francisco. The hijackers are trying to get into the cockpit and they’ve knifed a guy. I think they’ve got a bomb, and they may have a gun. I need you to call the authorities.” And then he hung up……

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Deena Burnett was talking to Joanna Moorhead. 9/11: State of Emergency, Saturday, 11 Sept, 9pm Channel 4
Independent Online