low flying aircrafts cause panic in new york bringing back memories of 9-11

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• Description : NEW YORK, April 27 -- A VC-25 airc...(more)raft and an F-16 fighter jet flew low above lower Manhattan on Monday morning, causing panic among some New Yorkers fresh with memories of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and angering Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The planes, authorized by the U.S. military on a "photo-op" mission, flew as low as 1,000 feet to 150 feet (about 305 meters to 46 meters) over Manhattan, State Island, and neighboring New Jersey, and circled the Statue of Liberty, local media reported. The VC-25 aircraft is the military version of Boeing 747. The one involved in Monday's flyover was one of the customized Boeing 747s that serve as Air Force One when the U.S. president is on board. Thousands of people were evacuated from buildings in New York and across the Hudson River in New Jersey following the sighting of the low-flying jets, the New York Daily News reported. "I didn't know what was going on. Some planes were circling the building. I was afraid. I was here when the World Trade Center went down," the paper quoted Eunice Davis, who was evacuated from the New York Mercantile Exchange, as saying. Although authorities said state and local authorities were notified of the operation in advance, Mayor Bloomberg had no prior knowledge. Bloomberg, angry that he was not told beforehand, said a flyover so close to Ground Zero was "insensitive" and "ill-conceived." New York Senator Chuck Schumer said the flyover "borders on being cruel or very, very stupid." "If you're going to see large jets flying low over New York City, people are going to panic," he said. Later on Monday afternoon, a White House official apologized for causing "confusion and disruption" with the flyover mission. Louis E. Caldera, director of the White House Military Office, said in a statement that he approved the mission last Thursday. "While federal authorities took the proper steps to notify state and local authorities in New York and New Jersey, it's clear that the mission created confusion and disruption," he said. "I apologize and take responsibility for any distress that flight caused." President Barack Obama was also furious when he learned of the episode on Monday afternoon, the New York Times reported, quoting his aides. (less)