Mysterious Area 51 ‘unmanned aircraft’ crash probed by Air Force, FBI — as claims rumors swirl
A drone crashed just outside the secretive Area 51 base in Nevada on September 23, sparking a flurry of speculation and a joint investigation by the Air Force and the FBI. The incident happened on public land near Groom Lake, about 83 miles north‑northwest of Las Vegas, according to the Air Force and local KLAS‑TV.
The aircraft was assigned to the 432nd Wing at Creech Air Force Base, a unit that flies unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) such as the MQ‑9 Reaper and other classified drones. No one was hurt, and cleanup work finished on September 27, the base announced.
What made the crash more mysterious was the aftermath. A few days after the incident, the airspace east of Area 51 was closed for national‑security reasons, a temporary flight restriction that lasted over a week until October 1. The FAA issued the restriction after the crash, keeping a five‑nautical‑mile zone shut, which included a stretch of Nevada Highway 375, the so‑called Extraterrestrial Highway.
Creech officials said they found “signs of tampering” at the site on October 3, including a training bomb and an aircraft panel of unknown origin that were placed after the crash. They also confirmed the UAV was involved, but answered that outsiders had likely scattered unrelated debris. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the FBI have launched a joint probe.
Local Area 51 watcher Joerg Arnu, who runs DreamlandResort.com, told KLAS‑TV that he was listening to the base’s radio traffic when the voice chatter changed to “very serious” and a lockdown began. “We just had an asset go down,” he said, implying an unmanned aircraft had failed during a secret night‑time operation. Arnu tried to approach the crash site on local backroads but found armed guards and military security blocking the road. He saw sheriff’s deputies and a helicopter positioned near the Groom Lake entrance, and later a fresh dirt path leading to a buried debris field.
The Dreamland community, made up of former defense contractors and veterans, speculated that the craft could have been an experimental AI‑controlled drone. Creech’s 432nd Wing does test next‑generation UAVs that might accompany advanced fighter jets, so the idea that a new prototype was involved fits the story.
While the base says the damage was caused by a malfunction and that no dirty operations took place, skeptics like Arnu dismiss that as an excuse to keep people out. “That’s absolutely bogus,” he told reporters. “They’re trying to discourage people from going there.”
The FBI, the Department of Defense, and the Air Force have not yet released additional statements. As the investigation continues, the aviation community and Area 51 enthusiasts alike stay tuned for any new details about why a drone fell so close to one of the nation’s most guarded sites.
Source: New York Post
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