Peter Rivers retweetledi
In the 1980s, the Air Force had the 4450th Tactical Group, an operational unit flying the top secret F-117 and keep the secret for 5 years. They even successfully cover-up this crash:
On July 11, 1986, Major Ross E. Mulhare died when his F-117A Nighthawk crashed into a hillside in the Sequoia National Forest, near Bakersfield, California. At the time, the F-117 was a "black project," and its existence was not publicly acknowledged until 1988. To protect the aircraft's stealth technology and "invisible" status, the Air Force executed an elaborate cover-up:
Debris Substitution: The military reportedly brought in wreckage from a decommissioned F-101A Voodoo—which had been stored at Area 51—and scattered it at the site to mislead any scavengers or reporters. Secrecy Agreements: Local firefighters and federal officials who responded to the crash were forced to sign non-disclosure agreements and were barred from discussing anything they saw or heard.
National Security Lockdown: The Air Force declared the 150-acre crash site and the airspace above it a "national security area," enforcing it with armed guards to keep the press and public away. Vague Statements: Officials initially refused to identify the aircraft, stating only that it was a "military plane" and specifically denying it was an "F-19" (a rumored stealth jet name at the time) or a bomber.
Site Sanitization: Recovery teams meticulously sifted through the dirt, and on July 23, they used explosive charges to destroy the "pancaked" outline of the aircraft on a rock outcropping that would have been visible from the air. The cause of the crash was later attributed to spatial disorientation, as Major Mulhare had become exhausted during the high-speed night flight
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