WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – A Florida man was arrested after he landed his small helicopter on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol yesterday, police said, violating restricted airspace and causing a security scare.
Doug Hughes, 61, a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier from Ruskin, Florida, has been jailed and is facing undisclosed charges after he flew his “gyro copter” over Washington and landed on the Capitol grounds about 1:30 p.m., the U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement.
The Tampa Bay Times reported that Hughes planned to make the flight to draw attention to the issue of campaign finance reform. He wrote letters addressed to each member of Congress calling for changes, the paper said.
Security rules prohibit aircraft from flying in the area of the Capitol and the White House without permission.
