Quadcopter Drone Crashes On White House Grounds
By Anthony Domanico. The US Secret Service said Monday that a quadcopter drone crashed on the White House grounds just after 3 a.m. ET, causing a brief lockdown while the agency investigated to determine if there was a threat to the site.
After it ruled out a potential threat, the Secret Service revealed that the drone was a run-of-the-mill quadcopter that is sold in stores, though stopped short of identifying the exact make and model. The crash occurred on the southeast side of the compound.
The Secret Service is still working to determine who was controlling the drone, though no additional information on suspects was provided. The Federal Aviation Administration bans unmanned aerial flight systems in a 10-nautical-mile area around Washington’s Reagan National Airport, which according to Time would include the White House, Pentagon and the CIA.
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama were in India at the time. There’s no word on whether other family members were staying in the White House when the drone crashed this morning.
Even though it may be tempting to get an inside look at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with your fancy new drone, the risk far outweighs the reward as you’d likely end up in jail, or at least on the wrong side of a Secret Service interrogation. So remember, if you try to take drone images of the White House, you’ll probably end up in the Big House. (Read more about the quadcopter drone crashing HERE)
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White House Drone Crash was Accidental
By Tribune Wire Reports. A two-foot-long drone apparently flown by a hobbyist crashed on the White House grounds Monday in an extraordinary, if unintended, breach that raised fresh questions about the president’s security — and a growing threat from the sky.
A man later came forward to say he was responsible for the mishap in the middle of the night and hadn’t meant to fly the drone over the complex, officials said. “Initial indications are that this incident occurred as a result of recreational use of the device,” said Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary. . .
Officials believed the intrusion to be the first of its kind on the White House grounds, although not the first in the vicinity.
Low-flying drones like the quadcopter — a craft lifted by four propellers — have become increasingly sophisticated and affordable instruments that authorities worry could also become tools for terrorists or others meaning to do harm. (Read more from this story HERE)
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