Reporter covered Pentagon attack

John McWethy, 61, who as an ABC News correspondent had to flee the Pentagon after the 9/11 attacks but continued reporting live, died Wednesday in Keystone, Colo., after a skiing accident.

Witnesses said McWethy was skiing on an intermediate trail when he missed a turn and slid chest-first into a tree, Summit County Coroner Joanne L. Richardson said. McWethy died of blunt force injuries, she said.

Before retiring in 2003, McWethy had been ABC News’ chief national security correspondent covering defense and diplomatic issues.

He had to leave the Pentagon after a hijacked plane crashed into the building in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, but he kept reporting from a nearby lawn.

“The military, often skeptical of journalists, was highly respectful of [McWethy’s] work,” Ralph Begleiter, a retired CNN correspondent, told the Washington Post.

“He never hesitated to ask the toughest of questions, but he always handled every story fairly.”

A native of Aurora, Ill., McWethy received a bachelor’s degree in English composition from DePauw University in 1969 and a master’s degree from Columbia University’s journalism school in 1970.

He joined ABC News in 1979 after working for Congressional Quarterly and U.S. News & World Report.