Aircraft Wash Ashore Along Gulf Coast

Swimmers and sunbathers hoping to take advantage of springtime weather last week along the gulf coast of Alabama were surprised to find some parts of the beach closed, due to the unexpected return of two non-native species.

According to local news reports, two 20-foot-long Air Force drone aircraft washed up on beaches near Fort Morgan and Cabana Beach on Thursday. Initially, witnesses thought they were seeing a swimmer in distress, or wreckage from a downed airplane.

"We couldn't tell what it was a first," one spring-break beachgoer told WKRG-5. "You could just see little parts of it. A wave would come and then you would see another part."

Officials confirmed such unmanned drones are often used during offshore targeting exercises, between 40-70 miles off the coast. No one knows how long either aircraft were in the water... though both planes had a heavy layer of barnacles attached to their fuselages.

Authorities stressed the aircraft did not pose any danger to civilians, though a guard was posted to protect the drone near Fort Morgan from curious onlookers... or perhaps someone looking for a souvenir to take home.

FMI: www.af.mil