Gyrocopter pilot who landed on the Mall will plead guilty

By Anna Giaritelli, Anna Giaritelli

Published December 20, 2015

The Florida man who flew a gyrocopter through restricted airspace in Washington, D.C., last April agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge of operating a one-man aircraft without a license.

Douglas Hughes told the Associated Press Friday he will bear the consequences of his decision to land the vehicle carrying more than 500 letters for members of Congress on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol.

"I have always accepted that there would be consequences for what I did," Hughes said.

In June, the former postal worker told Roll Call a slightly different story, "I don't think I should be doing hard jail time for a flight that brought attention to corruption in Congress."