No, Google Maps did not find a sunken plane in Tampa Bay
TAMPA (FOX 13) - It's not the missing Malaysian Airlines jet. It's not the plane from 'Lost.' In fact, it's not a lost plane at all.
An image from Google Maps -- now getting attention online -- appears to show a passenger plane resting underwater in Tampa Bay. The outline of what looks to be a Southwest Airlines 737 appears faint but distinct just off the West Shore area in the Google Earth satellite view.
LINK: See the spot on Google Maps
A Google spokesperson tells FOX 13 the image is real -- but the context isn't.
"Each satellite image you see on the map is actually a compilation of several images," Google's Mara Harris explained. "Fast-moving objects like planes often show up in only one of the many images we use for a given area. When this happens, faint remnants of the fast-moving object can sometimes be seen."
It's worth noting that the plane in the picture is along the approach path to Tampa International Airport, so it's very likely that a satellite view taken at any given time would include a plane in that area.
It's not the first time such an aircraft artifact image has caused a stir. Earlier this year, park officials in Minneapolis puzzled over what appeared to be a plane at the bottom of a lake there, and 'rainbow' planes above New Jersey and Brooklyn caught a lot of views.
Of course, finding secret and unusual sights on Google Earth is something of a cottage industry for the internet. Over the last few years, users have spotted everything from an odd pattern in the sands of Nevada to a Batman logo in Japan to an odd sculpture in Egypt.
There is also the most famous "Welcome to Cleveland" sign on the internet -- next to the airport in Milwaukee.
Closer to home, Central Florida's many beautiful sights are also interesting from above. Check out the satellite views of: