A small drone that crashed on the South Lawn of the White House was operated by a government employee who said it breached the secure perimeter by accident, Reuters reports.
The employee does not work for the White House and told the US Secret Service he was flying the unmanned quad copter aircraft recreationally before he lost control.
The device, approximately two feet in diameter, was spotted flying at a low altitude at about 3am local time before it crashed on the southeast side of White House grounds, the Secret Service said in a statement.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters traveling with President Barack Obama in India on Monday that the Secret Service was investigating.
US regulators are working to draft new rules for commercial drones used for farming and news gathering. Drones have also have become popular as toys, raising privacy concerns as well as safety issues after close calls with jets.