Which flight logs show arrivals and departures to Little St. James and how can they be accessed?
Executive summary
Publicly available evidence shows two overlapping categories of records that document travel connected to Little St. James: pilot- and aircraft-maintained flight logs for Jeffrey Epstein’s helicopters and airplanes (some of which have been released or archived), and island-specific visitor logbooks and boat logs cataloged by investigators but largely unreleased; access to both types has come via court unseals, law‑enforcement releases and independent archives, while significant portions remain withheld for privacy and investigative reasons [1] [2] [3].
1. What flight logs exist that could show arrivals and departures to Little St. James
A widely cited set of records are the flight logs kept for Epstein’s private aircraft — the so‑called “Lolita Express” jet and associated helicopters — which have long been used by reporters and litigants to track who flew on Epstein’s planes; portions of those aircraft logs have been publicly released or posted in unredacted form to archival sites [1] [4]. Separately, investigators’ evidence inventories list a Little Saint James island logbook and multiple boat‑trip logs seized in searches of Epstein properties, which would more directly capture arrivals and departures to the island itself [2]. Government case files and subpoenas also sought pilot notes and manifests covering Epstein’s helicopters and planes from the late 1990s through his death in 2019, indicating law‑enforcement collection of additional flight records beyond what the public has seen [5].
2. How these logs document island access — and their limits
Aircraft flight logs commonly record aircraft tail number, dates, origin and destination airports or heliports and passenger names; those entries have been used to show who flew on Epstein’s planes and to which commercial or private airfields they traveled, such as Teterboro, Palm Beach or St. Thomas, the latter being the usual gateway to Little St. James [1] [6]. Those plane logs do not, however, prove direct fixed‑wing landings on Little St. James because the island had no airstrip — access was normally via St. Thomas followed by helicopter or boat — meaning only helicopter logs, boat manifests or the island’s own visitor pages could definitively show arrivals onto the island itself [7] [6]. The evidence inventory seized by investigators explicitly lists a Little Saint James logbook and multiple boat logs, underscoring that island‑specific arrivals likely exist in government holdings, even if not yet fully public [2].
3. Where and how those records can be accessed
Publicly released flight logs and compilations have been made available through news outlets and archival repositories; for example, an unredacted PDF of Epstein’s flight logs has been posted to an internet archive and is cited in reporting as a primary source for plane movements and passenger lists [1]. Federal releases and the FBI’s online “Vault” have published investigatory material related to Epstein, and the Department of Justice and court dockets have been the formal avenues for broader disclosures when judges unseal files [3] [2]. Prosecutors and civil litigants also obtained records via subpoenas — the U.S. Virgin Islands attorney general subpoenaed flight manifests and pilot notes in 2020 — demonstrating that legal process can compel production beyond voluntary media disclosures [5]. Independent journalists and fact‑checkers have cross‑referenced FAA and CBP holdings; US Customs and Border Protection has produced collections of Epstein‑related travel records to government portals, which can be requested or reviewed in connection with court filings [8].
4. Why some logs remain hidden and how to pursue them
Authorities warn that a “large portion” of seized records contain images of victims and sensitive material, which is a key legal reason for redactions or withholding — the FBI and DOJ have argued for restricted release to protect victims and ongoing investigations [2]. Where material remains sealed, the practical paths to access are judicial unsealing motions in active cases, FOIA or local public‑records requests where applicable, or relying on law‑enforcement releases tied to prosecutions and evidence inventories; investigative reporters have successfully used these avenues to surface flight manifests and related logs [2] [3] [1]. Finally, caution is necessary: some social‑media claims about specific individuals visiting Little St. James have been debunked because fixed‑wing logs were misread or maps falsified, and because plane logs alone cannot document island landings without helicopter or boat records [7] [9].