Security scare as gyrocopter lands on US Capitol front lawn

A major security breach has happened outside the US Capitol in Washington D.C., the home of Congress, after a pilot landed gyrocopter on the building's front lawn without permission.

The Capitol went into lockdown over the incident and the pilot of the single-seat craft was swiftly arrested, CNN reports.

Bomb disposal teams used remote-controlled robots to check the gyrocopter, embossed with the US Postal Service logo, for any potential explosives.

Nearby streets were also temporarily closed.

The airspace over the US Capitol, like the White House, is a no-fly zone.

The pilot of the craft is believed to be a 61-year-old Florida mailman named Doug Hughes who has flown from Tampa to Washington D.C. to deliver a message on campaign finance reform.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Hughes has been planning the stunt for two years.

"No sane person would do what I'm doing," he was quoted as saying, in a report published prior to this afternoon's unauthorised landing.

"I have got a plane, a gyro-plane. And I'm going to fly it, I'm going to violate the no-fly zone, non-violently. I'm going to land on the Capitol Mall."