Two weeks after a mysterious aircraft crash in the Nevada desert near Area 51, the U.S. Air Force and the FBI are investigating what appears to be tampering at the crash site.
In a statement released Saturday, the 432nd Wing, stationed at Creech Air Force Base in Clark County, said one of its aircraft was involved in an “incident” on September 23, with no fatalities or injuries. The crash site was secured and cleaned up, the unit said, but on October 3, returning investigators discovered signs of “tampering” at the location, “including the presence of an inert training bomb body and an aircraft panel of unknown origin that were placed on the site post-incident.”
The statement did not say where the materials discovered by investigators originated.
The Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations (OSI) and FBI are looking into the matter.
Officials at Creech AFB had acknowledged an “incident” in the area involving an aircraft on September 25 but did not release any details beyond that.
Defense news website The War Zone speculated that the crashed aircraft could be an MQ-9 Reaper drone, since the aircraft is flown by the 432nd Wing, or the seldom-seen RQ-170 Sentinel, since it is also operated from Creech AFB.
The military has only released one official photo of the RQ-170. More images of the drone surfaced after Iran downed an RQ-170 in its airspace in 2011.
Flight Restrictions
On the day of the crash, the FAA issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) warning flight crews to avoid the area, identified as “Alamo, Nevada, near Mormon Mesa.” The reason for the notice was listed as “national security.”
The War Zone estimated that the NOTAM would place the crash site about 12 miles east of the security perimeter of Groom Lake, the highly classified and heavily guarded Air Force site better known as Area 51.
The NOTAM, the military’s vagueness about the type of aircraft involved, and the announcement of an investigation at the crash site have captured the attention of aviation enthusiasts and local residents.
Under a Facebook post about the crash from Las Vegas’ KLAS-TV, users speculated about the details the Air Force has so far withheld.
“Why does everyone have to stay away if it’s just a drone?” one asked.
“RQ-170 crashed…you’re welcome,” wrote another.
As reported by The War Zone, Area 51 researcher Joerg Arnu posted a video exploring what he alleged is the crash site. The video showed tire tracks and footprints in the dirt and a scorched Joshua tree.
