Air Force releases 'Scare Force One' photos

By Mike M. Ahlers
CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) - And now, the rejects.

Three months after the White House released a single photograph taken during a photo op of "Air Force One" flying over New York City - a flight that caused panic on the streets below - the U.S. Air Force on Friday released the remaining 145 photos taken during the flight.

The photographs show the Boeing VC-25 - a military version of a 747 - making three passes by the Statue of Liberty, at one point accompanied by an F-16 fighter jet and at another point making a steep bank not usually seen with passenger aircraft. That latter move may have contributed to the chaos below.

The photographs and several lengthy government e-mail chains were released in response to Freedom of Information Act requests by CNN and other news organizations.

The e-mail chains show that the flight's government organizers were aware of many New Yorkers' fears of low-flying aircraft before the April 27 flight, and show a flurry of second-guessing, finger-pointing, damage control and occasional expressions of regret in the hours immediately following the flight.