A Florida mailman who allegedly landed a small helicopter on the U.S. Capitol grounds in Washington D.C. on Wednesday has been charged in the offence.

Flying the small aircraft with no doors and a single rotor on top, Douglas Mark Hughes landed the gyrocopter on the Capitol's west lawn in what he said was an attempt to deliver letters to Congress calling for campaign finance reform, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

The incident led to a temporary lockdown while authorities swooped in to secure the security breach. Hughes, of Ruskin, Fla., never completed his goal and was taken into custody after landing.

At his Thursday hearing, the only thing the 61-year-old said was his name and to confirm he understood the terms of his release, Reuters reported. He is charged with unlawfully operating an unregistered aircraft and violating national defense airspace.

It is illegal to fly an unauthorized aircraft within the vicinity of the White House or Capitol.

Josh Earnest, spokesman for the White House, noted that while the Secret Service might want to review its protocols, Hughes had "not indicated the desire to harm anybody," Reuters reported.

"The intent of the individual is relevant," Earnest said.

In the meantime, Hughes was allowed to return to Florida. But the judge ordered him to surrender his passport, which is expired, and to report to a pre-trial office in Tampa once a week.

The judge also banned Hughes from flying any aircraft and from stepping foot on U.S. Capitol or White House grounds.

He is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for a preliminary hearing on May 8, according to Reuters. If convicted, he faces four years in prison.