Drone crashes on White House lawn

steve58 · January 26, 2015, 06:58:26 PM

So, a "government employee" flying a drone for fun over the WH at 3am??

Quote
WASHINGTON – A man has claimed responsibility for the drone that crashed onto the White House grounds early Monday, an incident that triggered an immediate lockdown and a Secret Service investigation.

Secret Service spokeswoman Nicole B. Mainor said the individual contacted the agency Monday morning to "self-report" the incident. According to Mainor, "initial indications are that this incident occurred as a result of recreational use of the device."

A U.S. official told The Associated Press the man said he didn't mean to fly the drone over the White House; he is said to be cooperating with investigators. The New York Times reported he is a government employee, though he does not work for the White House.

"This investigation continues as the Secret Service conducts corroborative interviews, forensic examinations and reviews all other investigative leads," Mainor said, adding that the case will be presented to the U.S. attorney's office in D.C. for a decision on possible prosecution.

The development comes after the two-foot-long "quadcopter" drone crash-landed onto the grounds overnight. Brian Leary, a Secret Service spokesman, said that an officer posted on the south grounds of the White House complex "heard and observed" the device "flying at a very low altitude" shortly after 3 a.m. ET. Leary said the drone ultimately crashed on the southeast side of the complex.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/01/26/obama-spokesman-says-device-found-on-white-house-grounds-poses-no-threat/?intcmp=latestnews

jejo68 · January 27, 2015, 02:01:25 AM

So maybe now there will be Laws in place to protect land owners from those pesky drones :)

JasonPratt · January 27, 2015, 01:30:41 PM

Mom and I are convinced the drones will be entirely outlawed sooner or later; and this is a step toward sooner rather than later. ;)

Which will reek, since I Kickstarted a drone package due this year...

JasonPratt · January 27, 2015, 01:32:18 PM

See also: reasons why we don't have flying cars yet in 2015.

(We do, we've had flying cars since the 50s, maybe a bit earlier; they aren't even super-expensive, anyone can buy one at any time for around $50K (or even as little as $10K), and they work great. And are horribly, horribly dangerous. Not always to the people they're supposed to be dangerous to. :)) )

jejo68 · January 28, 2015, 06:41:36 AM

Quote from: JasonPratt on January 27, 2015, 01:30:41 PM
Mom and I are convinced the drones will be entirely outlawed sooner or later; and this is a step toward sooner rather than later. ;)

Which will reek, since I Kickstarted a drone package due this year...

No need to outlaw them just make it illegal to fly over lower then say 100m over your property without prior consent.

LongBlade · January 28, 2015, 11:14:40 AM

The hilarious part is that it was being flown by a drunken government employee from one of our spy agencies...

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/28/us/white-house-drone.html?_r=0

mirth · January 28, 2015, 11:18:28 AM

Quote from: LongBlade on January 28, 2015, 11:14:40 AM
The hilarious part is that it was being flown by a drunken government employee from one of our spy agencies...

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/28/us/white-house-drone.html?_r=0

If were the President, I'd be thinking about private security.

Greybriar · January 28, 2015, 01:54:51 PM

I wonder what the reactions would have been if small drones had been employed under similar circumstances in Russia and North Korea in the vicinity of Putin and Jong-un.

Airborne Rifles · January 28, 2015, 03:46:25 PM

Quote from: Greybriar on January 28, 2015, 01:54:51 PM
I wonder what the reactions would have been if small drones had been employed under similar circumstances in Russia and North Korea in the vicinity of Putin and Jong-un.

In Putinist Russia, drone flies you (to the Reeducation camp/gulag)!

JasonPratt · January 28, 2015, 04:11:38 PM

Quote from: jejo68 on January 28, 2015, 06:41:36 AM
Quote from: JasonPratt on January 27, 2015, 01:30:41 PM
Mom and I are convinced the drones will be entirely outlawed sooner or later; and this is a step toward sooner rather than later. ;)

Which will reek, since I Kickstarted a drone package due this year...
No need to outlaw them just make it illegal to fly over lower then say 100m over your property without prior consent.

They're still too dangerous. Not the blades so much, but what can be attached to them, or done with them by accident or on purpose to mess with people or things.

It's probably good that I'm not a supervillain. >:D