Feds knew Air Force One photo-op flyover might spark panic in the city – but didn’t give a hoot
NY Daily News >> Originally Published 29th April 2009
Federal officials knew a flyover in lower Manhattan could spark chaos and panic in the streets below – but they did it anyway.
A memo clearly marked “FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY,” shows the Federal Aviation Administration was aware that sending a Boeing 747 and F-16 fighter jet over New York City at a low altitude raised “the possibility of public concern.”
Yet, the agency demanded the information be shared on a “need to know” basis and the public and media be kept in the dark.
It was a move branded “sheer stupidity” by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) yesterday.
“To say that it should not be made public knowing that it might scare people, it’s just confounding,” he said.
“It’s what gives Washington and government a bad name.”
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told WCBS-TV it showed “insensitivity to the psychic wounds” the city has suffered since 9/11.