Washington ? Well, at least it’s a heck of a photo.

On Friday, the White House released the picture that panicked New York — a spectacular shot of Air Force One soaring majestically past the Statue of Liberty.

The Obama administration also announced the departure under fire of the White House official who authorized the $328,835 photo shoot, which gave the city heart-thumping Sept. 11 flashbacks, enraged local officials and forced the president to condemn the incident.

Barack Obama had nothing to say Friday as the administration released the resignation letter of his top White House military aide.

Louis Caldera said the controversy had made it impossible for him to effectively lead the White House Military Office for Obama. “Moreover, it has become a distraction in the important work you are doing as president,” he said in his letter to Obama.

As former Army Secretary Caldera took the fall for the flyover, the White House put out the findings of an internal investigation that portrayed him as out of the loop in a cycle of missed messages and questionable judgments as plans for the photo shoot proceeded.

Caldera said he didn’t know Air Force One would fly at 1,000 feet during the April 27 photo promotion, according to the investigation findings.