Details remain scant about an unspecified U.S. Air Force aircraft, widely believed to be a drone of some kind, which came down in southern Nevada not far from Area 51 nearly two weeks ago. Whether the aircraft was ever actually inside Area 51’s highly restricted airspace, also known as “The Box,” is unknown. The mishap prompted authorities to temporarily close the airspace above the crash site, with some exemptions, while the wreckage was cleared. In a bizarre twist of events, the Air Force has publicly disclosed that it and the FBI are now investigating apparent strange tampering at the crash site afterward.
“On September 23, 2025, an aircraft assigned to the 432nd Wing was involved in an incident with no fatalities or injuries,” the Wing’s public affairs said in a release regarding the incident on October 4. ” The site was secured and guarded until recovery and cleanup operations were completed on September 27th.”
The 432nd Wing is headquartered at Creech Air Force Base. The flying squadrons assigned to the 432nd are primarily equipped with MQ-9 Reaper drones, but this is not the only type of aircraft the wing operates, as we will come back to later on.
“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 release put out this past weekend added. “The matter is under investigation by Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) and the FBI. No further details are available at this time.”
Officials at Creech had previously confirmed a connection to the incident, and that there had been no fatalities, injuries, or property damage as a result of the crash, in statements to various local news outlets. They also said that an investigation into the mishap was underway. TWZ reached out to Creech today for any updates, and authorities there said they had no further comment at this time.
The Air Force has not confirmed the exact location of the crash site. However, it appears to have been around 12 miles to the east of the security boundary around the top-secret flight test center at Groom Lake in Nevada, better known as Area 51, and some 24 and a half miles from the facility itself. This is based on the coordinates at center of airspace restrictions that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed between September 23 and October 1. The TFR, the center of which was also roughly 57 miles to the northeast of Creech, extended five nautical miles in all directions and covered all airspace up to 15,000 mean sea level (MSL).
The only reason the FAA gave for imposing the TFR was “national security.” The Radar Approach Control at Nellis Air Force Base, further to the southeast of Creech, was listed as a point of contact for pilots. TWZ has reached out to FAA for more information.
The TFR had quickly caught the attention of plane spotters and others due to the curious circumstances and its proximity to Area 51. As mentioned, no connection between the incident and Area 51 has so far been confirmed. The coordinates at the center of the TFR were also on the edge of part of the sprawling ranges managed by authorities at Nellis Air Force Base, further to the south.
In a live stream on September 23, Joerg Arnu, a long-time Area 51 researcher, webmaster of the site Dreamland Resort, and local resident, said he believed the aircraft that went down had come from Creech and had been associated with an especially large exercise in the area, but also that he did not know for sure. Arnu subsequently visited the apparent crash site after recovery efforts ended on September 27, as seen in the video below.
The Air Force has confirmed the Creech connection, but little else.
As noted, most of the units at Creech fly MQ-9s, but Reaper crashes are hardly uncommon, and the drone is very much a known quantity after nearly two decades of Air Force service. While a Reaper’s particular configuration, or the stores it may have been carrying, could be very sensitive, one of these drones going down seems unlikely to have prompted this level of secrecy. This is underscored by what the service has disclosed about MQ-9 crashes at home and abroad over the years, even when there are certain operational sensitivities.
Creech is also home to the secretive 30th and 44th Reconnaissance Squadrons, which are the only units confirmed to date as operators of RQ-170 Sentinel stealth drones. Whether or not those squadrons, or any others based at Creech, fly other types of drones, including ones that may not yet have come out into the light, is unknown. RQ-170s do participate in exercises, especially in the ranges around Nellis.
Transient aircraft, crewed and uncrewed, also regularly fly in and out of Creech, but the Air Force has said explicitly that whatever went down belonged with the 432nd Wing.
What the Air Force has shared about possible tampering at the crash site after the fact, as is the basic disclosure that the service is investigating that in cooperation with the FBI. The statement from the 432nd Wing makes clear that the site was only secured and under guard until recovery and cleanup operations were finished, raising questions about what concerns there might be around any tampering afterward, in general. Things do fall off of aircraft, especially in the USAF’s premier range complex, although the timing would seem odd in this case for these objects to appear so soon after the mishap. Still, coincidences happen, but what may have been unique or peculiar about these objects, such as their age, origin, and placement, is unclear.
It remains to be seen what additional details may emerge as the investigations into the mishap and possible tampering of the crash site after the fact proceed.
Howard Altman contributed to this story.
Contact the author: joe@twz.com