The University of Texas at Dallas McDermott Library Special Collections department presents the free public symposium Navigating Chaos: Aviation’s Response on 9/11, from 1-4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 11.

Attending the Event

Admission is free, but seating is limited. Register online.

Panelists will include air traffic controllers and pilots who played central roles in the events surrounding the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, including Ben Sliney, national operations manager for the Federal Aviation Administration.  Sliney gave the command to shut down American airspace his first day on the job.  He portrayed himself in Universal Pictures’ United 93, a 2006 film based on the day’s incidents.

The moderator will be Lynn Spencer, author of Touching History: The Untold Story of the Drama That Unfolded in the Skies Over America on 9/11.  This critically acclaimed 2008 book recounts the nation’s aviation response during and in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks.

Other guests will include:

  • Gerald Earwood, pilot of Midwest Express Flight 7, which nearly collided with United 175 before it hit the South Tower.
  • Colin Scoggins, the military liaison and an air traffic controller at FAA’s Boston Center.
  • Maj. Joe McGrady of the 102nd Fighter Wing.
  • Chuck Savall, pilot of Midwest Express Flight 73.
  • Maj. Dan Caine of the DC Air National Guard and the flying supervisor for the 121st Fighter Squadron at Andrews AFB.
  • Dan Creedon, departure controller for the Terminal Radar Approach Control at Reagan National Airport.

The event will be held in the UT Dallas Conference Center, 800 W. Campbell Road, Richardson, near the corner of Drive A and Rutford Avenue.

This event is being sponsored by McDermott Library’s History of Aviation Collection. The collection documents the first century of flight with more than 2,500,000 documents, photographs and other items gathered from more than 200 donated private collections.

Admission is free, but seating is limited. Register online at utdspecialcollections.eventbrite.com. For more information, call Carole Thomas at 972-883-2570.