Unequal Time has received additional documents resulting from its Freedom of Information Act request for documents relating to the infamous flyover of New York City by “Air Force One” on the morning of April 27, 2009. This most recent set of papers released by the Federal Aviation Administration provide further confirmation that the New York Office of Emergency Management had not received any prior warning that a low altitude would be made by a large jumbo jet taking a flight path similar to the hijacked jets did on the fateful morning of September 11, 2001. (Read our previous articles here, here, and here.)

The FAA’s cover letter dated October 28, indicated that a search for all documents related to the flyover turned up 23 pages of material, only four of which were cleared for release to Unequal Time. The FAA claimed that three pages were redacted to protect “information about [individuals] in ‘personnel and medical files and similar files the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.’” Another 16 pages were withheld in their entirety. The FAA’s rationale for withholding thes 16 pages of documents is made under an exemption in FOIA statutes that, using the words used in the FAA’s response, “protects internal Federal Government documents that are both predecisional and deliberative.” In common English that exemption covers the certain portions of the decision-making process that took place prior to formal mission planning and execution. The FAA alluded to the nature and substance of the documents withheld in the following statement:

The pages consist of internal memorandums and drafts thereof, e-mails, and minutes from meetings. These records consist of opinions, recommendations, and other reflections of staff thinking integral to the predecisional, deliberative process.

Could the documents contain evidence that FAA officials were offering feedback to the White House Military Office director Louis Caldera, feedback that may have included warnings about starting a possible panic on the lower Westside? These would seem to be the same loose ends that were left after the Department of Defense dumped a larger set of documents this August. The truth may not be known unless a larger media organization with deeper pockets chooses to press further.

Of the four non-redacted pages that were mailed to Unequal Time, three are mission flight plans, and one is what appears to be a word processed transcript of communication between the FAA (either traffic control or some other FAA entity) and a representative of the New York City Office of Emergency Management. Here is an exact transcription of the relevant section of the document released to Unequal Time:

Ringing

NYC ????? (Not audible)

FAA this is New York City OEM we have an inquiry regarding a large jet liner flying real low on the West side of Manhattan. Do you have any information on that?

Yea the airplane is gone now It was a DoD photo mission.

DoD photo mission?

Yea, who is asking again?

New York City OEM

Yea the mission is over now.

OK, 10-4, we’ll continue to monitor thank you.

Roger

Unequal Time will continue to report additional details on this story as they become available.

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