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Officials Say Drinking Played Role in White House Drone Crash

The government employee suspected of crashing a drone on the White House grounds Monday has told investigators he had been drinking before he lost control of the device, a source familiar with the incident confirmed to NBC News.
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The government employee suspected of crashing a drone on the White House grounds Monday has told investigators he had been drinking before he lost control of the device, a source familiar with the incident confirmed to NBC News.

Law enforcement officials say an employee of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency turned himself in after losing track of the drone while testing it in bad weather. He said he did not realize the unmanned aerial device landed at the White House until he saw news reports the next morning.

The New York Times first reported that the man had been drinking at a nearby apartment and went to sleep early Monday fearing the drone may have landed inside the White House gates.

IN-DEPTH

— Kristen Welker and Andrew Rafferty