A top White House military officer, who had authorised a photo-op of Air Force One flying "very low" over the New York skyline, has resigned.
A top White House military officer, who had authorised a photo-op of Air Force One flying "very low" over the New York skyline, has resigned owning responsibility for the incident that sent scared residents\ rushing into the streets, reminding them of 9/11.
Louis Caldera, who heads the White House Military Office, tendered his resignation on Friday afternoon on the completion of an internal investigation of the April 27 incident.
Caldera said he didn't know Air Force One would fly at 1,000 feet (300 meters) during the April 27 photo promotion, according to the investigation findings.
He also failed to read an e-mail message describing the operation and seemed unaware of the potential public threat, the findings said.
The investigation revealed that the Air Force One tailed by fighter jets flew very low over the New York skyline and resulted in thousands of people being evacuated from their high rise buildings and running to safer places.
"I have concluded that the controversy surrounding the Presidential Airlift Group's aerial photo shoot over New York City has made it impossible for me to effectively lead the White House Military Office," Caldera wrote to Obama in his resignation letter.
"Moreover, it has become a distraction to the important work you are doing as President. After much reflection, I believe it in incumbent on me to tender my resignation and step down," he said.
The letter was released by the White House along with a picture of the Air Force One flying over the Statue of Liberty.
The White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the US president Barack Obama has accepted his resignation.
"The president has asked his deputy chief of Staff Jim Messina and Defense Secretary Gates or his designee to jointly review the organisational structure of the White House Military Office and the reporting relationship of its components to the White House and the Air Force, and to make recommendations to him to ensure that such an incident never occurs again," Gibbs said.
Soon after the incident that outraged the people of New York, Obama said this was a mistake and would never be repeated.
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