FAA Chief Testifies Before A House Committee Concerning The Capitol Lawn Landing

The gyrocopter being flown by Douglas Hughes from somewhere near Gettysburg, PA to the lawn of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, DC could not be be distinguished from a flock of birds, a kite, or other non-aircraft on radar, according to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.

In testimony before the House Oversight Committee Wednesday, Huerta said that the gyrocopter was tracked as an "irregular signal" by air traffic controllers and was not considered a threat before it was landed on the Capitol lawn on April 15th. The target that was the aircraft "appeared only intermittently throughout the flight," Huerta told the committee.

Meanwhile, NORAD commander Adm. William Gortney said that the small aircraft could not have been shot down, according to a report from Fox News. "We did not have the detection," he reportedly told the committee.

But Capitol Police Chief Kim Dine told the committee that Hughes could have been shot down, but the agency chose not to do so out of safety concerns for people on the ground.

Adm. Gortney said that small aircraft like the gyrocopter are a "technical and operational challenge" for NORAD, adding that the incident "has further confirmed the need to continue to improve our ability to identify low-altitude and slow-speed aerial vehicles" that might fly in airspace over the nation's capital.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, (R-UT), chairman of the oversight panel, said that Hughes, 61, is "lucky to be alive ... he should have been blown out of the air."

Hughes is scheduled to appear in court in Washington May 8.

FMI: http://oversight.house.gov