Hidden in Plain Sight: A Historic Plane Sat Abandoned for Years at Gulfport Airport

Nov. 15—A Twitter thread from last Wednesday says that a historic plane, allegedly one of the last of its kind, is hidden in plain sight at the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport.

Photos from the ground and air included in the thread show the Martin 4-0-4 abandoned. The plane is worn down in the photos, with faded paint and a dirty exterior, and is nestled in a small alcove surrounded by trees.

This plane was a part of the Naples-Provincetown Boston Airline (PBA) before it shut down in the 1980s, according to GeoAvia, a Twitter account that examines Google Earth to uncover aviation history.

Many of its planes, including Martins like this one, were scrapped. The last operational Martin 4-0-4 was recovered in 2008 and brought to the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Valle, Arizona.

The Martin 4-0-4 was an aircraft manufactured by the Glenn L. Martin company. In addition to typical airline usage in the United States, these planes were also used by the United States Navy and Coast Guard.

It is unknown how or why this abandoned Martin 4-0-4 was flown into and left at the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, but officials told the Sun Herald it hasn't been on property for about five years.

"We found it was abandoned (at the airport) prior to 2007," said Charlie Munn, marketing director for GPT. "We made multiple attempts to contact the last known owner and were never able to get in touch with them. Then it was removed from the airport in November of 2017. It was dismantled. It was pretty old and had been in the elements for a while."

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