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Families remember loved ones killed in Flight 93 crash, appreciate what the spot has now become The sound of a bell echoed across the field in Shanksville as family members read the names of the passengers and crew members who died when Flight 93 crashed. <\/p>\n
On one of the darkest days in American history, Channel 11 spent hours covering the 9\/11 terrorist attacks.<\/p>\n
Long-time WPXI news anchors David Johnson and Peggy Finnegan reported on Sept. 11.<\/p>\n
The duo came back to the station to talk about working to keep our area informed while the country was under attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do remember a beautiful day. Just sapphire blue sky, no clouds. I had to go to a store in Squirrel Hill on Murray Avenue. But I was with the owner, and he had the radio on. And he said, \u2018I think they said a plane hit the trade center in New York.\u2019 And I said, \u2018That can\u2019t be. That\u2019s not right.\u2019 And we turned up the volume. And sure enough, that\u2019s when I went back home, and the weight of it started to hit me,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was probably sipping my coffee, and my neighbor, Carol, called me and said, \u2018Peggy, have you seen? Turn on the TV right now; have you seen what\u2019s happening in New York?\u2019 I turned it on; I couldn\u2019t believe it. Like you, I saw this gaping hole, smoke and flames, and you\u2019re just in disbelief. And then, as I was watching live, like millions of people across America, that second plane hit. And right then I knew this was not an accident. And I called the babysitter, and I started getting ready for work,\u201d Finnegan said.<\/p>\n
Click here to read more.<\/a><\/p>\n Channel 11\u2019s David Johnson & Peggy Finnegan reflect on covering 9\/11 attacks On one of the darkest days in American history, Channel 11 spent hours covering the 9\/11 terrorist attacks. <\/p>\n Channel 11\u2019s Lisa Sylvester recently visited the 9\/11 Memorial and Museum. She spoke with a docent, Gloria Greene, who told her the story of that fateful day.<\/p>\n Greene takes groups through the museum and tells the story of how the events unfolded.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was magnificent. There wasn\u2019t a cloud in the sky \u2014 just the most beautiful day,\u201d Greene said.<\/p>\n What people remember about that morning was the blue sky that blanketed the East Coast.<\/p>\n \u201cI worked one block away on Maiden Lane for 25 years, right next to the towers. I knew every inch of those towers,\u201d Greene said. \u201c…I worked there for so many years, I knew a lot of people who unfortunately met their demise on that day.\u201d<\/p>\n Sylvester asked, \u201cIt\u2019s been 25 years. Does it feel like it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt feels like yesterday when I\u2019m there,\u201d Greene replied. \u201cIt\u2019s very hard, and I keep those tears back, and then I get home, and the tears come out.\u201d<\/p>\n Tears for those lost and those who sacrificed everything: The heroes like Ladder Truck 3. The firefighters were headed home after their night shift ended, but chose to go back.<\/p>\n Click here to read more.<\/a><\/p>\n 9\/11 Memorial & Museum docent shares tales of heartbreak, heroism 25 years after attacks Channel 11\u2019s Lisa Sylvester recently visited the 9\/11 Memorial and Museum. She spoke with a docent, Gloria Greene, who told her the story of that fateful day. <\/p>\n Retired FBI agent Tom Bush recently sat down with Chief Investigator Rick Earle to talk about the 9-11 attacks and the impact that day 25 years ago had on the FBI.<\/p>\n Bush was working as a section chief at the Criminal Justice Information Center in Clarksburg, W.Va., just about a two-hour drive south of Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a whole different ball game. This is something, a whole different level of evil and terror that we\u2019ve never seen before,\u201d said Bush, who also worked a number of other high-profile crimes, including the Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta.<\/p>\n Click here to read more.<\/a><\/p>\n 11 Investigates Exclusive: Supervisor of largest FBI facility recalls 9\/11 attacks Retired FBI agent Tom Bush recently sat down with Chief Investigator Rick Earle to talk about the 9-11 attacks and the impact they had on the FBI. <\/p>\n Friday marks 25 years since the September 11th attacks. On that fateful day, Jack Grandcolas missed a call.<\/p>\n It was his wife who was on Flight 93, one of the 40 who lost their lives.<\/p>\n Grandcolas spoke to Channel 11 about her heroism and how that\u2019s helped him find healing.<\/p>\n \u201cHoney, are you there? Jack? Pick up, sweetie. Okay well. I just wanted to tell you I love you. We\u2019re having a little problem on the plane. Umm, I\u2019m totally fine. I just love you more than anything; just know that…\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s the voicemail Grandcolas\u2019s pregnant wife, Lauren, left him from on board Flight 93, 25 years ago.<\/p>\n He told Channel 11 this week that making that call showed Lauren\u2019s courage.<\/p>\n \u201cIt reminds me of how heroic she was, how calm, how composed. You know, they were in the midst of planning a counterattack, and she couldn\u2019t divulge, you know, exactly what was going on, but when she said there\u2019s just a little problem, if I read between the lines, it was, \u2018We\u2019re planning to take care of it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Click here to read more.<\/a><\/p>\n Man who lost his wife, unborn child in Flight 93 crash shares how her heroism guided him to healing Friday marks 25 years since the September 11th attacks. On that fateful day, Jack Grandcolas missed a call. <\/p>\n On the morning of September 11th, 2001, Steelers President Art Rooney II was at Heinz Field. He was in a planning meeting, putting the final touches on the stadium set to host its first regular-season NFL game in just five days, when a staffer rushed in, saying a plane had hit the World Trade Center.<\/p>\n \u201cMy dad and I walked over to our office and turned on the television and just couldn\u2019t believe what was unfolding right in front of our eyes,\u201d said Rooney II.<\/p>\n Like the rest of the world, everything at both the stadium and the team\u2019s South Side facility came to a screeching halt as the tragedy unfolded. Their first priority was providing support to a community that provides so much to them. The organization learned about a candlelight memorial in Somerset County for the victims of the Flight 93 crash.<\/p>\n \u201cWe got a couple of buses and took some of our players and coaches up there and were there for the vigil,\u201d said Rooney II. \u201cI actually met some of the families, some of the victims of the crash. It was a very emotional time. I was glad we got to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n To this day, Rooney II will never forget the impact their presence alone had on the families.<\/p>\n Click here to read more.<\/a><\/p>\n Steelers owner Art Rooney II reflects on how sports united families after 9\/11 On the morning of September 11th, 2001, Steelers President Art Rooney II was at Heinz Field. <\/p>\n Items and artifacts recovered from the crash of United Flight 93 in Somerset County are now on display at the FBI building in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n Chief Investigator Rick Earle recently got an exclusive look at the items and spoke with the FBI and a National Park Service Ranger.<\/p>\n Earle learned that it was all done with great care and reverence.<\/p>\n The items were brought to the FBI building on the South Side under a police escort last week.<\/p>\n As they arrived, they were greeted by an honor guard and the playing of the national anthem.<\/p>\n Earle spoke with the FBI\u2019s Special Agent in Charge, Richard Evanchec and Flight 93 National Memorial Park Ranger, Adam Shaffer, at the FBI headquarters on the South Side.<\/p>\n Click here to read more.<\/a><\/p>\n 11 Investigates Exclusive:\u00a0Evidence and artifacts from Flight 93 on display for FBI Items and artifacts recovered from the crash of United Flight 93 in Somerset County are now on display at the FBI building in Pittsburgh. <\/p>\n Westmoreland County Community College unveiled a new student-created 9\/11 memorial art installation at its Youngwood campus Wednesday.<\/p>\n The piece depicts a soldier, firefighter, police officer and American flag, all in metal.<\/p>\n It recognizes the heroes who served and responded to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.<\/p>\n Click here to read more. <\/a><\/p>\n Chief Investigator Rick Earle visited Shanksville to meet with two men connected by one phone call made on the morning of September 11, 2001.<\/p>\n That phone call was made by Gordon Felt\u2019s brother, and it went to the 911 center in Westmoreland County, where retired deputy emergency management coordinator Dan Stevens was working that day.<\/p>\n \u201cYour brother having the hindsight, if I need help, dial 911, and he took a chance, and it worked,\u201d said Dan Stevens.<\/p>\n It was the first meeting between Stevens and Felt, as they talked with Earle about that phone call Gordon\u2019s brother made 25 years ago.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe it was 9:58 when it came in, so 9:57 was when the battle started, and they charged the cockpit,\u201d Felt said.<\/p>\n Edward Felt, married with two children and living in New Jersey, was on a routine business trip from Newark to San Francisco when his plane was hijacked.<\/p>\n Click here to read more.<\/a><\/p>\n Flight 93: 25 years later, 2 men connected by phone call on 9\/11 meet for the first time Chief Investigator Rick Earle visited Shanksville to meet with two men connected by one phone call made on the morning of September 11, 2001. <\/p>\n This week will mark 25 years since the 9\/11 attacks.<\/p>\n Many people are reflecting on what the tragedy means to them – and how it\u2019s changed us as individuals and as a nation. That includes a local chaplain who rushed to the Flight 93 crash site and stayed there for days.<\/p>\n As chaplain for the Pittsburgh office of the FBI, Father Joseph McCaffrey\u2013 affectionately known as Father Mac – has been a steady hand of comfort at plenty of tragedies.<\/p>\n He was there after the crash of Flight 427, the EgyptAir disaster in 1999 and then 9\/11.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I came out from mass, there were some people who were telling me that this plane crashed into one of the towers,\u201d McCaffrey said.<\/p>\n Hours later, he would be on his way to the crash of Flight 93 in Somerset County.<\/p>\n \u201cThey said we\u2019re going to need your help dealing with the families who will be coming in,\u201d McCaffrey said. \u201cWhen I went to the site, I went over and then I prayed over the site and I consecrated the ground, and I prayed for all who had died.\u201d<\/p>\n Click here to read more.<\/a><\/p>\n Local chaplain reflects on time spent with Flight 93 victims\u2019 families after 9\/11 This week will mark 25 years since the 9\/11 attacks. <\/p>\n Download the FREE WPXI News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch WPXI NOW<\/a><\/p>\n TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS <\/p>\n \u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/https:\/\/d1hfln2sfez66z.cloudfront.net\/09-11-2026\/t_cf464df6108148219f795ad13056d75f_name_davidandpeg.jpeg\")
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