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.
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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.
