World of the Bizarre

Drunk operative lands drone at White House

By T.K. Randall
January 29, 2015 ·  52 comments

The quadcopter prompted a security scare at the White House. Image Credit: Susan Sterner The President's official residence became the center of a fresh security scare on Monday when a small remote-controlled quadcopter managed to cross the building's external perimeter fence and land somewhere inside the grounds.

Officers reported that they had seen and heard the device as it approached the southeast side of the complex at low altitude before crashing at around 3 a.m, triggering a temporary security lockdown.

Far from being a terrorist attack however the incident turned out to have been the result of an innocuous nighttime jaunt by an agency official who had been drinking too much.The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency employee later admitted to losing sight of the quadcopter near the White House in the darkness and rain before falling asleep.

"The individual has been interviewed by Secret Service agents and been fully cooperative," said a Secret Service spokesman. "Initial indications are that this incident occurred as a result of recreational use of the device."

The Chinese manufacturer of the quadcopter, which can be bought online, has since announced the release of a firmware update to prevent its products from being flown within restricted airspace.

Source: The Register | Comments (52)

Tags: Drone, White House