An explorer believes he has documented footage of a peculiar aircraft near Area 51, which he connects to previous UFO sightings from over ten years ago.
Area 51, located in southern Nevada, is often linked to reports of unidentified flying objects. Many conspiracy theorists suggest that the U.S. government might be hiding evidence of alien life there.
The site is home to a highly secretive U.S. Air Force base within the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR), and its operations remain largely unknown to the public.
This air of mystery has led many adventurers to explore the vicinity, including backpacker and videographer Anders Otteson.
On January 14, Otteson was documenting his camping experience near the facility and observed two aircraft, one of which seemed particularly unusual.
Around 1 a.m., he noted the distant sound of jet engines and identified what appeared to be a B-2 stealth bomber flying above.
He shared in a YouTube video: “Closer to three in the morning, I got another low flyover, but this one looked different.”
The aircraft’s shape was described as “close to an equilateral triangle with a flatter trailing edge,” and he likened it to a “Dorito” shape, making it easier to visualize.
Curiously, similar Dorito-shaped unidentified objects have been captured in photos by Jeff Templin in Wichita in 2014 and Steve Douglass in Amarillo, Texas, that same year.
While these objects’ form resembled known military aircraft, their exact identity remains uncertain.
Otteson acknowledged that many people suspect these images might just be B-2 aircraft. He also admitted uncertainty about whether his footage merely shows another B-2 “pitched at an odd angle.”
He remarked: “It’s hard to say conclusively what we’re looking at, but in relation to all the other recent Dorito sightings in Death Valley and the ones going back to 2014, I think we have something interesting here.
“Are we looking at a classified test flight or run-of-the-mill training?”
When investigators sought to clarify Templin’s Dorito sighting, officials were non-committal.
USNI News suggested the shape resembled the U.S Navy’s General Dynamics/McDonnell Douglas A-12 Avenger II carrier-based bomber project.
However, Jennifer Cassidy, a U.S. Air Force spokesperson, commented: “Given the resolution of this photo, we can’t even tell if it is a military aircraft, much less an Air Force one.”
When questioned, FAA spokesperson Alison Duquette replied: “I do not know.”
Thus, the chances of Otteson uncovering the true nature of what he witnessed appear minimal.