Crashed White House drone, pilot quizzed

The person operating the drone that crashed on the White House grounds called the US Secret Service to "self-report" their involvement in the incident.

The individual was interviewed by Secret Service agents and has been fully cooperative, Secret Service spokesperson Brian Leary said in a statement Monday afternoon, CNN reported.

The Secret Service locked down the White House shortly after 3 a.m. after an officer on the south grounds of the White House spotted the drone, described as a two-foot wide "quad copter," flying above the White House grounds before crashing on the southeast side of the complex.

"Initial indications are that this incident occurred as a result of recreational use of the device," Leary said.

The Secret Service will continue to investigate the incident through "corroborative interviews, forensic examinations and reviews of all other investigative leads," Leary said.

A Secret Service official said the owner of the drone called in after seeing reports of the drone on the news.

The Secret Service was sweeping the White House grounds Monday morning looking for anything else that might be on the ground.

President Barack Obama and the first lady are both away, traveling in India.

The executive director of the Small UAV Coalition, Michael Drobac, called the news of the drone crashing at the White House a "terrible incident" for the drone industry because it sends a message that drone users aren't using the technology responsibly.

Flying drones is illegal in the District of Columbia, but that hasn't always kept them out of the capital's skies.