White House aide quits over photo-op

Flyover sparked flashbacks to Sept. 11 attacks

May 09, 2009|Philip Elliott, Associated Press

WASHINGTON - A top White House aide resigned yesterday for his role in Air Force One's photo-shoot flyover above New York City that sparked panic and flashbacks to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Louis Caldera said the controversy had made it impossible for him to effectively lead the White House Military Office. "Moreover, it has become a distraction in the important work you are doing as president," Caldera said in his resignation letter to President Obama.

The sight of the Boeing 747 and an F-16 fighter plane flying past the Statue of Liberty and the lower Manhattan financial district sent panicked office workers streaming into the streets on April 27. Obama said it would not happen again.

Caldera's office approved the photo-op, which cost $35,000 in fuel alone for the plane and two jet fighter escorts.

The Air Force estimated that the photo shoot cost taxpayers $328,835. White House officials said that the flight was designed to update the official photo of the plane, known as Air Force One when the president is on board.

Late yesterday afternoon, the White House released a photo of the blue-and-white plane high above the Statue of Liberty, with New Jersey in the background. Via e-mail, it also released Caldera's resignation letter and a seven-page report on the incident, along with a short written statement from White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, who said Obama has ordered a review to "ensure that such an incident never occurs again."