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The United States Air Force has reported the FBI is investigating multiple mysterious objects that someone, for unknown reasons, placed at an aircraft crash site near Area 51. The crash reportedly involved an unidentified aircraft that was assigned to the 432nd Wing.
According to a statement issued by the U.S. Air Force, there were no fatalities or injuries as a result of the crash. However, the site of the crash was secured and guarded until recovery and cleanup operations were completed.
Temporary Flight Restriction still in effect for the mystery drone crash just outside of Area 51 pic.twitter.com/i1DNspuC4R
— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) September 27, 2025
The crash reportedly occurred on September 23rd about 24 miles from Area 51 and approximately 12 miles east of the security boundary that surrounds the base. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a temporary flight restriction for the area which lasted for approximately a week. The reason for the shutdown was stated as “national security.” No other details were shared by the FAA. Cleanup of the site was completed on September 27th, according to the U.S. Air Force.
“During a follow-on site survey on October 3rd, investigators discovered signs of tampering at the mishap 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 U.S. Air Force wrote in their statement. “The matter is under investigation by Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) and the FBI. No further details are available at this time.”
Joerg Arnu, Area 51 researcher and host of the website Dreamland Resort, visited the crash site on September 27th and found nothing of note. In a video he took while visiting the crash site, he pointed out, “They really tore up the ground so it’s impossible to find the impact mark.”
The 432nd Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command at Creech Air Force Base near Indian Springs, Nevada – less than 60 miles from the crash site. It is normally dedicated to flying General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-170 Sentinel Unmanned aerial vehicles for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.
Those facts, plus a recent sighting of the Air Force’s top-secret RAT55 jet flying over Area 51, have led to questions about why this particular crash site has been kept so secret. As The Daily Mail noted, “the fact that federal investigators showed up so quickly, searched for planted fake evidence, and kept the incident completely under wraps for over two weeks were signs that the aircraft was no ordinary drone.”
Unfortunately, any further updates about the incident, at least from the U.S. Air Force, have been put on hold.
