A House panel said Thursday it will investigate how a small helicopter managed to land undetected on the West lawn of the U.S. Capitol.
House Administration Chair Candice Miller, R-Mich., and the panel’s top Democrat, Robert Brady, of Pennsylvania, said they are working with the U.S. Capitol Police and Sergeant at Arms to find out how 61-year-old Doug Hughes pulled off the landing, even after alerting authorities of his plans.
“Bottom line, this small aircraft should have never been able to access protected airspace and land on the U.S. Capitol Grounds,” Miller and Brady said in a joint statement. “And this cannot happen again.”
The statement also admonished Hughes, who admitted that he believed authorities would try to stop him and was surprised when they did nothing until he landed.
“Frankly, the individual is fortunate that this stunt did not cost him his life,” Miller and Brady said.
