Two EA-18G Growler jets taxi at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in December 2024. (Jacquelin Frost/U.S. Navy)

SEATTLE — A Navy reservist was at the controls of an unauthorized commercial drone downed Tuesday over Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, the Navy said.

“The drone operator was a reservist here on temporary duty,” said Michael Welding, the air station’s spokesman. “During a break, unbeknownst to his superiors, he deployed a personal drone in violation of base regulations. The drone was detected once airborne, and countermeasures were deployed to render the device inoperable.”

NAS Whidbey Island, about 60 miles north of Seattle, is the home of the Navy’s carrier-based EA-18G Growler electronic warfare squadrons.

Base security and explosive ordnance disposal personnel secured the drone and found that it did not carry any explosives or payload that constituted a physical threat to personnel. No one was injured in the incident, Welding said.

Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents identified “the suspect” as a reservist at the base and detained him for questioning.

Following an interview, the reservist was released to his unit, Welding said. The Navy did not identify the person responsible or indicate what, if any, action would be taken in response to the incident.

Welding confirmed that the base’s defensive systems disabled the drone, which he described as a four-propeller commercial “quadcopter.”

Because of operational security, Welding said the Navy would not release specific information about how the drone was brought down. The Navy also declined to say if the quadcopter was equipped with a camera or other devices.