NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman flew a vintage fighter jet during the Fourth of July air show over Washington after the Federal Aviation Administration denied a request to include the aircraft in the event, citing safety concerns.
Records posted by the FAA show the agency rejected a request on June 30 to allow four Northrop F-5 Tiger II jets to participate in the aerial celebration over the National Mall as part of the nation's 250th anniversary festivities, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
The FAA concluded the aircraft presented an unacceptable level of risk for a flyover above a densely populated area.
In a six-page decision, the agency cited concerns about the aircraft's handling characteristics, the consequences of a pilot ejection over the city, and the jet's accident history.
The ruling was signed by Hugh Thomas, the FAA official who leads the agency's Flight Standards Service.
Despite the denial, Isaacman flew one of the F-5s at the start of Saturday's air show, which also featured flyovers by a variety of U.S. military fighter, bomber, and cargo aircraft.
Isaacman told the Journal the FAA's concerns were misplaced because the aircraft were operating as government aircraft rather than civilian ones, placing the flight outside the agency's regulatory authority.
"It never should have been a civil operation from the get go," Isaacman told the newspaper.
Isaacman said NASA had assumed operational control of the jets before the event, even though the ownership paperwork had not yet been completed. He added that he had previously used the aircraft to recognize high-performing NASA employees by taking them on flights.
Isaacman said the event fulfilled Trump's vision for the celebration.
"It's clear the president wanted the grandest flyover ever," he told the Journal. "It certainly was."
The NASA administrator, who has extensive experience flying military aircraft, said he never believed the flyover posed a safety issue, noting that the F-5 remains in service in numerous countries after decades of operation.
He also said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford sent him a text message before the flight wishing him well.
An FAA spokeswoman said Bedford was unavailable for comment Sunday. She added that the agency performed its standard review while the aircraft were still classified as privately owned experimental aircraft and before they were placed under government control.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, whose department oversees the FAA, supported the agency's decision and did not overrule it, according to people familiar with the matter. The department declined to comment.
FAA registration records reviewed Sunday listed Isaacman's company, JDI Holdings, as the owner of three of the four F-5s involved in NASA's request.
A separate entity owned the fourth aircraft.
The FAA said responsibility for verifying aircraft ownership rested with the event organizers.
Plans for the flyover originally included passengers in the rear seats of the jets. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, and senior Trump adviser Chris LaCivita had been invited to participate, according to people familiar with the arrangements, though those flights were ultimately canceled.
Scavino had posted on X in June that he was looking forward to the flyover, prompting Isaacman to respond with an American flag emoji.
Freedom 250, the organization aligned with President Donald Trump that organized the anniversary events, referred questions about the flight to NASA.