Air trespasser emailed flight plan
Compact gyrocopter slipped past radar into D.C. no-fly zone
WASHINGTON The Florida man who flew his gyrocopter through restricted airspace to land on the U.S. Capitol grounds told federal investigators he feared being “shot down” but took off anyway to call attention to campaign-finance policy, according to federal court documents.
Doug Hughes, 61, was charged Thursday with operating an unregistered aircraft and violating national airspace restrictions. He told authorities he sent a message of his flight plan to an email account he believed to be associated with President Obama “to avoid being shot down.” The account, info@barackobama.com, belongs to Organizing for Action, an advocacy organization that grew out of the president’s campaign.
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said the copter “apparently literally flew in under the radar” as it passed the Washington Monument and flew above the National Mall before landing on the West Lawn of the Capitol.
Johnson said it’s too soon to say whether the incident should prompt changes in security procedures. He defended procedures for dealing with the restricted airspace over Washington’s federal buildings and monuments.
“We’ve got a well-coordinated federal response to dealing with issues of those who penetrate the restricted airspace without permission,” he said.
On his flight, Hughes carried with him 535 letters, one for each member of Congress, outlining his complaints about the influence of money and lobbyists in Washington politics.
Looking rumpled and windburned, the postal worker made his first court appearance Thursday, wearing a blue Postal Service jacket. He was released on his own recognizance on conditions that required his return to Ruskin, Fla., and detention at home.
If Hughes is convicted, the maximum punishment for operating an unregistered aircraft is three years in prison and one year for the airspace violation.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating how he breached the no-fly perimeter.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is joining the FAA in reviewing sensor data to understand how the gyrocopter got to the Capitol without being stopped. NORAD spokesman Michael Kucharek said the incident highlights the inability of radar to detect cruise missiles and low, slow-flying objects.
Jeffrey Price, a professor of aviation and aerospace science at Metropolitan State University of Denver, said the aircraft — which weighs an average of 500 pounds and goes no faster than 50 mph — wouldn’t be picked up by radar.
“We’ve got a well-coordinated federal response to dealing with issues of those who penetrate the restricted airspace.” Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson