Bass ' career in commercial aviation began with difficulty , Bass says , " I was told there could n’t be a female pilot flying executives around because what would the wives think " . Bass began flying for American Airlines in 1976 at age 24 , and was the first female captain for that airline in October 1986 . Bass was piloting a Boeing 777 en route from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport when the terror attacks of September 11 , 2001 , occurred . Due to the closure of American airspace Bass ’s flight was ordered to land at Gander International Airport in Gander , Newfoundland , as part of the Canadian government 's Operation Yellow Ribbon . Her experience in Gander during the days following the attacks was one of several people 's stories featured in the Tony Award-winning Canadian musical '' Come from Away '' . While the Beverley Bass character in the musical is partly a composite character combining experiences of other pilots in Gander at the time , the number " Me and the Sky " is entirely drawn from the real Bass 's life story . Bass has developed a close friendship with Jenn Colella , the actress who portrays her in the Broadway company of '' Come from Away '' , and frequently travels to see the show
terror attacks of September 11 , 2001
September 11 attacks
Beverley Bass