In July 1986, a secretive military crash ignited public curiosity.
An advanced aircraft went down in Sequoia National Forest, sparking a wildfire and a web of mystery.
The Air Force quickly cordoned off the area, setup restricted airspace, and shrouded the crash site in secrecy.
They replaced the wreckage with that of an old F-101 Voodoo brought in from Area 51 to mislead onlookers.
For two years, speculation brewed. Some guessed the crash involved a mythical F-19 from nearby Edwards Air Force Base. However, the truth was far more groundbreaking.
In 1988, the Air Force finally fessed up. The F-117 Nighthawk was real, and it had been flying for years.
The stealth fighter, developed in the 1970s, was a technological marvel designed to evade detection.
After seeing action in the Gulf and Yugoslav Wars, it was retired in 2008 and replaced by the F-22 Raptor.
