Navy Drone Plane Crashes in Maryland

It was something that hit without warning.

Yesterday (June 11), a Naval drone aircraft crashed on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Luckily, no injuries or property damage resulted from the crash. There were four crew members on board when the 44-foot plane impacted the swampy area.

A Spokewoman for the Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons program confirmed the crash location near Bloodsworth Island, across the Chesapeake Bay from the Patuxent River Naval Air Station

Currently, the U.S. Coast Guard has set up a safety zone around the site until a full investigation has been conducted.

CBS News reports:
The Northrop Grumman RQ-4A BAMS-D drones with a range of 10,500 nautical miles can reach 11 miles above the ground, which is above most weather, and stay in the air for more than 30 hours with speeds up to 391 mph, according to the Navy. It is operated by a crew of four on the ground.The aircraft is one of five acquired from the Air Force Global Hawk program that support more than half of maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems. They have flown more than 5,500 hours in support of combat operations since 2008.

Watch out for falling planes!