No Charges for White House Drone-crash Pilot

U.S. prosecutors said Wednesday they will not pursue criminal charges against an intelligence agency employee who lost control of a hobby drone that crashed into the White House gardens, sparking a Secret Service investigation.

The man, whose name was not released, had been flying a friend's DJI Phantom "quadcopter" around his downtown Washington apartment late on January 25 and early the next morning. 

At some point, he flew the drone outside the apartment window and lost control of it, the U.S. attorney's office said in a statement.

"He saw it ascend to an altitude of about 100 feet (30 meters) and head in a westerly direction. He tried to regain control over it, but to no avail," the statement read.

The man realized the drone's battery was running out and he thought it would crash somewhere harmless. 

"He went to sleep not knowing where the drone had gone. After he awoke to news reports of the crash on the White House grounds, he self-reported the incident to the Secret Service," the statement added.

After an investigation, authorities decided not to press charges, though the Federal Aviation Administration has begun a review of the mishap for possible administrative action.

The drone's pilot works for the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which is part of the defense department.

The incident led President Barack Obama to call for drones to be more closely regulated.

It was the latest in a series of embarrassing security lapses at the White House, including one that saw a man carrying a pocket knife scale the fence around the presidential mansion, run across the lawn and enter the building before being tackled.