When a stealth fighter jet crashed in a forest, it sparked intense speculation while the Air Force attempted to cover it up

Photo Credit: Canva
Photo Credit: Canva

In July 1986, an F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter crashed in California’s Sequoia National Forest, setting off a swift and secretive response from the U.S. Air Force. Determined to keep the aircraft’s cutting-edge technology under wraps, officials scattered debris from a McDonnell F-101A Voodoo around the crash site to divert attention and mislead any potential onlookers.

However, this calculated ruse had the opposite effect. Instead of allaying curiosity, the suspicious placement of unrelated wreckage raised even more questions. The visible effort to obscure the truth sparked intense speculation among journalists and aviation enthusiasts alike, drawing greater scrutiny to what the military was so desperate to hide about the F-117’s revolutionary stealth design.

Mysterious crash in Sequoia National Forest

Burned sequoia trees in Sequoia National Forest
Sequoia trees damaged by wildfires that occurred in Sequoia National Forest in 2017. (Photo Credit: Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The San Francisco Chronicle / Getty Images)

On July 11, 1986, the U.S. Air Force was testing the F-117 Nighthawk, a top-secret aircraft at the time. Around 2:00 AM, the plane crashed over Sequoia National Forest, killing the pilot and starting a brush fire that burned about 150 acres. Firefighters from Kern County and the U.S. Forest Service eventually got the fire under control.

After the crash, the Air Force quickly locked down the area near Kern River Canyon and declared the surrounding airspace off-limits. This was done to prevent anyone from seeing the crash site or learning about the classified aircraft.

A spokesperson for the Kern County Sheriff’s Office explained, “The whole area has been restricted, including the air space above the crash site. There will be military aircraft in the area, and anyone entering the area will be dealt with appropriately by the Air Force.”

The Air Force released a short statement confirming that a U.S. military aircraft had crashed in the Sequoia National Forest and that a team of officers would investigate. “That’s the guidance we’ve been given from Washington,” said Staff Sgt. Lorri Wray. “We can’t give out any details.”

When pressed for more details, a Pentagon spokesperson would only reveal that the aircraft was “not a bomber.”

Replacing the F-117 Nighthawk with an F-101A Voodoo

McDonnell F-101A Voodoo parked on a runway
To keep the development of the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk a secret, the US Air Force replaced the wreckage with that of a McDonnell F-101A Voodoo. (Photo Credit: USAF / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

After the F-117 Nighthawk went down, Air Force personnel swiftly gathered the wreckage and swapped it out with parts from an old F-101A Voodoo, which had been kept in storage at Area 51. The F-101A was phased out of active Air Force duty in 1972 and retired from the Air National Guard by 1982.

The incident quickly attracted public interest, with many speculating that the plane originated from Edwards Air Force Base, located just 65 miles away. This idea gained momentum because Edwards was well known as a testing ground for cutting-edge aircraft, including experimental prototypes, next-generation bombers, and modified jets.

Notable aircraft tested there included the Northrop F-20 Tigershark and the Rockwell B-1 Lancer.

Sources incorrectly reveal the aircraft was an F-19

Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk in flight
Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk. (Photo Credit: Images Press / Getty Images)

After the crash, a curious report by Andy Lightbody, editor of International Arms Combat, appeared in an Associated Press story, citing anonymous sources who speculated that the wreckage could belong to an “F-19.” Though the U.S. Air Force never confirmed this, the notion of an elusive F-19 has fascinated aviation enthusiasts ever since.

The buzz around an F-19 stealth fighter took hold because of the pattern in U.S. military aircraft designations. Following the F/A-18 Hornet and the rollout of Northrop’s F-20 Tigershark, it seemed logical that the next fighter would carry the F-19 label. But when no such aircraft emerged—and the Air Force conspicuously skipped over the number—rumors spread that the designation might hide a secret stealth program.

While the Air Force later insisted the F-19 was omitted only because Northrop preferred the F-20 name for marketing reasons, many remained unconvinced. The conspicuous gap in numbering fueled theories that an F-19 did exist in secret, perhaps developed quietly by Lockheed and hidden behind layers of Cold War secrecy.

Unveiling the F-117 Nighthawk

Prototype for the Lockheed Martin Have Blue parked near a building
Lockheed Martin presented the Have Blue to DARPA for consideration as the US Air Force’s next stealth fighter. The prototype eventually became the F-117 Nighthawk. (Photo Credit: US Air Force / DARPA / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was developed in the 1970s after the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) ran a study showing that U.S. aircraft were more vulnerable to enemy defenses than expected. In response, DARPA launched a competition for a new stealth fighter design, which was ultimately won by Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works division.

The F-117 underwent its first test flight in 1981, and deliveries to the U.S. Air Force began the following year. Although it became operational just two years later, the plane remained highly secret, with the military only officially revealing its existence to the public in 1988. Civilians got their first actual look at the aircraft two years after that.

During its service, only 64 F-117s were built, including five prototypes. The aircraft saw combat in the Gulf War and later in the Yugoslav Wars, where one was famously shot down by a surface-to-air missile (SAM). The F-117 was officially retired in 2008 and replaced by the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, though a fleet of Nighthawks is still maintained in flying condition today.

F-117 Nighthawk specs

Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk dropping a GBU-27 Paveway III mid-flight
Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk dropping a GBU-27 Paveway III laser-guided bomb during an exercise. (Photo Credit: MSGT EDWARD SNYDER / Defense Link / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

Designed to deflect radar, the F-117 Nighthawk featured angled panels coated with radar-absorbing material, making the aircraft virtually invisible on-screen. It was capable of reaching a maximum speed of Mach 0.92, thanks to its two General Electric F404-F1D2 turbofan engines, and had a range of 1,070 miles.

The F-117 was equipped with two internal weapons bays with one hardpoint each, which allowed it to carry an array of explosives: the B61 nuclear bomb, the GBU-31 JDAM INS/GPS guided munition, the GBU-10 Paveway II laser-guided bomb, the GBU-27 Paveway III laser-guided bomb and the GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bomb, all with varying types of warheads.

Other important features were that the F-117 had a V-tail and was air refuelable. Additionally, it was operated through the use of quadruple-redundant fly-by-wire flight controls, which had been derived from those used by the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, the F/A-18 Hornet, the McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle and the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress.

More from us: Blohm & Voss BV 141: The Asymmetrical German Aircraft That Shouldn’t Have Been Able to Fly – But Did

Flown primarily by the US Air Force, the stealth fighter was operated by the 412th Test Wing out of Edwards Air Force Base; the 4450th Tactical Group and 37th Tactical Fighter Wing out of Tonopah Test Range, in Nevada; and the 49th Fighter Wing out of Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico.

Clare Fitzgerald

Clare Fitzgerald is a Writer and Editor with eight years of experience in the online content sphere. Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from King’s University College at Western University, her portfolio includes coverage of digital media, current affairs, history and true crime.

Among her accomplishments are being the Founder of the true crime blog, Stories of the Unsolved, which garners between 400,000 and 500,000 views annually, and a contributor for John Lordan’s Seriously Mysterious podcast. Prior to its hiatus, she also served as the Head of Content for UK YouTube publication, TenEighty Magazine.

In her spare time, Clare likes to play Pokemon GO and re-watch Heartland over and over (and over) again. She’ll also rave about her three Maltese dogs whenever she gets the chance.

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