White House lockdown lifted, Capitol evacuation canceled after airspace violation

WASHINGTON -- A lockdown on the White House and evacuations ordered for the U.S. Capitol were lifted after a small plane violated airspace rules in the restricted area Tuesday morning.

Authorities said they started tracking an inbound aircraft around 8:29 a.m. and the lockdown was put in place about 10 minutes later.

The U.S. Secret Service says personnel at the White House were told to remain in place. The Capitol and its office buildings were briefly evacuated, and fighter jets were scrambled in Washington, D.C.

The evacuations were ordered as a precaution and lasted about half an hour.

Additional details about the aircraft were not immediately released.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.