Air Force, FBI Investigating Mysterious Crash Near Area 51

FAA ordered pilots to avoid the area due to ‘national security.’

Zach Vasile

Tuesday, October 07, 2025 at 05:04 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

An MQ-9 Reaper drone taxis into Creech Air Force Base. [Credit: U.S Air Force/Senior Airman Larry E. Reid Jr.]

Key Takeaways:

A mysterious aircraft crash involving a U.S. Air Force 432nd Wing aircraft occurred near Area 51 on September 23, with no reported fatalities or injuries.
Two weeks after the incident, investigators found signs of tampering at the secured crash site, including an inert training bomb and an unknown aircraft panel placed there post-incident.
The U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) and the FBI are now jointly investigating the tampering at the crash site.
An FAA "national security" flight restriction was issued for the area, and the military's vagueness about the crashed aircraft (speculated to be a drone like an MQ-9 Reaper or RQ-170 Sentinel) has generated significant public interest.

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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.”