THIS is the moment a radio transmission captured the chaos as a mystery aircraft went down near Nevada’s secretive Area 51 base.
On the morning of September 23, longtime Area 51 observer Joerg Arnu was monitoring radio traffic from the base when he heard a sudden change in tone.
A security voice said over the channel: “All foot patrols be advised, there’s a UAV, unmanned, unmanned aircraft with ordnance.”
Moments later came another call: “We just had an asset go down. We had an asset go down.”
Within minutes, security units locked down the entire Tikaboo Valley, sealing off access roads and deploying armed patrols.
Helicopters arrived with cargo baskets and portable toilets, indicating a large recovery operation.
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Arnu said: “Almost the entire valley was shut down.
“They meant business.”
The object reportedly crashed on public land near Highway 375, known as the E.T. Highway, a stretch popular with UFO watchers about 120 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
Witnesses said security personnel blocked access to the area while local residents in Rachel, Nevada, noticed heightened activity but received no official explanation.
Arnu attempted to reach the site but was turned away by armed guards.
Days later, he found a freshly plowed dirt road leading to what appeared to be a staging area.
Nearby, he discovered scorched Joshua trees and buried fragments believed to be from the crash.
And a short time later, heavy equipment was used to cover the area with dirt, effectively burying the site.
The Air Force later confirmed the crash involved a Reaper drone assigned to Creech Air Force Base and said investigators had found signs of tampering at the site, including unrelated debris and an inert training bomb.
The FBI and Air Force Office of Special Investigations launched a joint investigation into the alleged tampering.
But Arnu rejected the explanation, saying: “That’s absolutely bogus.
“I think that was designed to make people not go there.”
Investigative journalist George Knapp of KLAS-TVwho has covered Area 51 for decades, said the official account “is pure fiction.”
He said the response to the crash followed a familiar pattern of rapid lockdowns and concealment.
Members of Arnu’s website, Dreamland Resort, which includes former defense contractors and military veterans, believe the object may have been a next-generation AI-controlled drone capable of operating autonomously alongside fighter jets.
The FAA confirmed it issued a temporary flight restriction over a five-nautical-mile area east of Area 51 on the day of the crash “for national security reasons.”
The restriction remained in effect for more than a week.
Area 51, located near Groom Lake, is a classified Air Force installation used for testing advanced aircraft and weapons.
The base spans more than 4,500 square miles and is surrounded by a 575-square-mile no-fly zone.
Security at the site is strict, and signs warn that trespassers may be met with deadly force.
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While the Air Force maintains the incident involved a drone, Arnu and other researchers say questions remain about what really fell from the sky.
The FBI investigation into the alleged tampering is ongoing.