Unknown Craft That Crashed Near Bakersfield in the 1980's Was A Stealth Fighter

I remember in the late 1980's hearing of an aircraft crashing in the Sierra Nevada's in the southern part of the valley. The entire mountain side has been blocked off by the military, which seemed rather odd for a plane crash. There were reports of a black triangle being seen in the vicinity before the crash. But as usual, the military was quiet on what had actually crashed.

After both the stealth fighter and bomber were revealed to the public, there were rumors that the crash had been a stealth aircraft, but nothing was ever proven. Then, while researching black triangles for another post, I came across an web page listing several F-117 crashes. There I found what had actually happened over twenty years ago.


F-117 Nighthawk, like the one that crashed near Bakersfield.

On July 11, 1986, Major Ross Mulhare flew a F-117 into a mountain near Bakersfield. The cause of the crash has never been officially revealed, but fatigue and disorientation during night flight has been theorized as the probable cause of the crash. Unfortunately Major Mulhare died in the crash.

Here's the link to the page. You will have to scroll down a bit to see the entry about the Bakersfield crash.