White House drone crash news: Government employee at fault in latest security breach
WASHINGTON – A small drone known as a "quad copter" was spotted by U.S. Secret Service agents when it crashed on the White House South lawn early Monday morning, according to reports. Agents said that there was no immediate threat to President Obama or the First Lady, who are currently in India, and an investigation revealed that a government employee had been operating the device at the time.
The drone, which is approximately two feet (61 cm) in diameter, was seen flying at a low altitude at 3:08 a.m. EST before it crashed, Secret Service spokeswoman Nicole Mainor said in a statement. She said there was an "immediate alert and lockdown of the complex until the device was examined and cleared."
An investigation determined that an unnamed government employee had been flying the quad copter recreationally and breached White House secured perimeter by accident, according to The New York Times. It is illegal to fly anything in the restricted airspace above the White House.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters traveling with President Barack Obama in India on Monday that the device never "[posed] any sort of ongoing threat to anybody at the White House." Obama's daughters Sasha and Malia were in the White House at the time.
Congress determined in 2012 that new regulations should be put in place to govern the use of commercial drones, which have become more popular in recent years for personal and business use. New laws concerning drones should be announced in September of this year.
The Secret Service also has come under heavy scrutiny after a man managed to climb the fence and gain access to the White House House and shots were fired in the vicinity of Vice President Joe Biden's home, among other incidents. Its director resigned in October, and an independent review concluded that it needs to build a better fence and hire more officers.
Obama is in New Delhi for three days as part of a diplomatic push to forge closer ties with India, part of a strategy to "rebalance" U.S. defense and trade to Asia to counter a more assertive China.