Shiftheads - Grounded in Gander: One Passenger's Story, 25 Years On

Shane Hewitt and The Nightshift · Sep 11, 2026 · 10m

Kerry Derringer-Cashin was flying home from Dublin when her plane was diverted to Gander, Newfoundland on September 11th. She was on the first of thirty aircraft to touch down, but her plane was one of the last to let passengers off.

What happened next in Gander is the part she still talks about twenty five years later. Kerry describes strangers who opened their homes for showers, brought grills into the streets for barbecues, and kept trays of food coming for days without being asked.

Now back in Gander for the first time since 2001, Kerry reflects on what those five days taught her and why…