John McWethy, 61; reported on national security for ABC

JOHN MCWETHY (ABC News file via KMGH)

KEYSTONE, Colo. - John McWethy, a retired ABC News correspondent who had to flee the Pentagon after the 2001 attacks but continued reporting live, died Wednesday after a skiing accident. He was 61.

Witnesses said Mr. McWethy was skiing fast on an intermediate trail when he missed a turn and slid chest-first into a tree, Summit County Coroner Joanne L. Richardson said.

Mr. McWethy and his wife, Laurie, moved to Boulder after he retired to be closer to ski slopes and golf courses, ABC News president David Westin said in a statement. Before then, Mr. McWethy had been ABC's chief national security correspondent.

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

"He was one of those very rare reporters who knew his beat better than anyone, and had developed more sources than anyone, and yet kept his objectivity," Westin said.

A native of LaGrange, Ill., Mr. McWethy graduated from DePauw University before earning a master's degree from Columbia University's journalism school.

"He was the kind of journalist who didn't want to be out front," Len Ackland, co-director of the University of Colorado's Center for Environmental Journalism and longtime friend, told the Denver Post. "It was always about the story, not about him. He was the kind of guy you enjoyed sitting down to have a beer with."

In addition to his wife, Mr. McWethy leaves two sons, Adam and Ian.