A member of the bomb squad checks Doug Hughes' helicopter. Photo / AP
A member of the bomb squad checks Doug Hughes' helicopter. Photo / AP
Police in Washington yesterday arrested a man who steered his tiny aircraft on to the West Lawn of the US Capitol after flying through restricted airspace around the National Mall.
The pilot was Doug Hughes, 61, a Postal Service worker from Ruskin, Florida, according to a person who was briefedby Capitol Police. On his website, Hughes took responsibility for the stunt and said he was delivering letters to all 535 members of Congress to draw attention to campaign finance corruption.
House Homeland Security panel chairman Michael McCaul said the pilot landed on his own, but authorities were prepared to shoot him down if he had made it much closer to the Capitol.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the pilot had not been in contact with air traffic controllers and the FAA didn't authorise him to enter restricted airspace.
Airspace security rules that cover the Capitol and the District of Columbia prohibit private aircraft flights without prior co-ordination and permission. Violators can face civil and criminal penalties.
