Sonic Boom Heard Across D.C. Area Was From Military Jets, Officials Say
A loud noise that was heard across much of the Washington, D.C., area on Sunday afternoon was caused by the sonic boom from military jets scrambling to respond to an intrusion into restricted airspace by a private flight, military and U.S. officials confirmed on Sunday.
Two fighter jets were sent from Joint Base Andrews after a Cessna entered the restricted airspace, prompting the emergency response to intercept the flight, the officials confirmed on Sunday.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, which oversees aerospace control over the United States and Canada, said in a statement that two F-16 jets were deployed after the Cessna 560 Citation V flew over Washington and Northern Virginia.
NORAD said that the fighter jets “were authorized to travel at supersonic speeds,” which would have produced the boom that was heard in the region and by some reports was noticed as far as the suburbs of Virginia and Maryland. The NORAD aircraft also used flares that may have been visible from the ground, the agency said, “in an attempt to draw attention from the pilot.”
