Mayor's Office Knew About Fly-by Before it Happened
NEW YORK (WCBS 880 / AP) -- Update: An administration official says the New York City mayor's office and a slew of other local police agencies were warned ahead of time that a backup Air Force One and military fighters would be flying low around the Statute of Liberty.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Monday the Federal Aviation Administration notified Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office and other New York and New Jersey police agencies about the Boeing 747's flight. The official said FAA, at the military's request, told local agencies that the information was classified and asked them not to publicize it.
The incident sent some workers into a panic in Manhattan near the former World Trade Center site where two hijacked planes crashed on 9/11.
SEE: Photos - Jets Buzz NYC Head of White House Military Office apologizes for Air Force One flight over New York .
A White House official is taking responsibility for a Boeing 747's flying photo op over New York City that sent some workers in lower Manhattan into a panic. The plane is a version of the 747 that's called Air Force One when the president is aboard.
White House military office director Louis Caldera says federal officials notified local and state authorities in New York and New Jersey, but he also apologized in a statement on Monday for the confusion and disruption.
Caldera's office provides military support for White House functions, including food service, presidential transportation and medical services. The office oversees all military operations aboard Air Force One on presidential trips.
A low-flying Boeing 747 escorted by two fighter jets as part of a federal government photo opportunity over lower Manhattan caused a brief panic among workers near ground zero on Monday.
John Leitner, a floor trader at the New York Mercantile Exchange Building, said workers received no official prior announcement about the exercise. He said everyone panicked when they saw the low-flying planes and began running out of the building, mere blocks from the former World Trade Center site, around 10 a.m.
About 1,000 workers gathered along the Hudson River until a security officer with a bullhorn told them it was a planned exercise. Workers in other office buildings also reportedly spilled out into the street.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the government was conducting a military photo op involving two Air Force F-16 jets and the 747. It said it notified city law enforcement about the mission.
The NYPD said the flight ``was authorized by the FAA for the vicinity of the Statue of Liberty, with directives to local authorities not to disclose information about it, but to direct all inquiries to the FAA Air Traffic Security Coordinator.''
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