bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

A small 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 60cm 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.
President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, were overseas when the quadcopter struck the southeast side of the grounds at about 3 am. Daughters Sasha and Malia stayed behind in Washington; it was not known whether they were at the mansion.
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 device 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.
WATCH: CBS report on Secret Service finding drone on the White House grounds

It was not immediately clear that the Secret Service could have done anything to prevent Monday’s incident. Yet the episode joins a string of recent security breaches at the White House that have fuelled questions about the agency’s effectiveness and ability to protect the president.
Four high-ranking executives were reassigned this month, and former Director Julia Pierson was forced to resign last year after a Texas man armed with a knife was able to get over a White House fence and run into the executive mansion before being subdued.
An independent panel that investigated the agency’s leadership and practices after that September incident, and the disclosure of a previously unreported security breach, recommended hiring a new director from outside.
That report was the second critical review of the agency responsible for protecting the president. In November, the Homeland Security Department, which oversees the Secret Service, released an internal investigation about the fence-scaling incident that found poor training and staffing and a series of missteps led to the breach.
Police, fire and other emergency vehicles swarmed the White House just after the crash, with several clustered near the southeast entrance to the grounds. The White House was dark and the entire perimeter was on lockdown until around 5 a.m. when those who work there were allowed inside.
The breach was bound to reinvigorate a long-running public debate about the use of commercial drones in U.S. skies — as well concerns about White House security. At the urging of the drone industry, the Obama administration is on the verge of proposing rules for drone operations that would replace an existing ban on most commercial flights.
WATCH: Another hobbyist's video of Washington using a drone camera

Although remote-controlled airplanes and related toys have been available for decades, the recent proliferation of inexpensive drones has prompted growing fears about potential collisions with traditional aircraft.
Technological advances have also made it easier to equip drones with advanced capabilities such as cameras, raising privacy issues as well as concerns that such devices could be used by terrorists to carry weapons.
The Federal Aviation Administration receives reports across the country nearly every day of drones operating near manned aircraft and airports or over densely populated areas, including previous incidents near the White House.
Many small quadcopters are used for commercial operations like aerial photography and inspections as well as by hobbyists. Often weighing only a few kilograms, they sell for as little as a few hundred dollars or less, and were popular Christmas gifts last year.
Whether a quadcopter can carry and fire a weapon depends upon how robust the drone is and how lightweight the weapon, industry experts say.


Security scare as drone crashes at White House; hobbyist says it was 'accident'

The drone (inset) was found by Secret Service on the South Lawn of the White House, causing a temporary lockdown. Photo: Reuters

News

World