A sonic boom sounded Sunday in Washington, the US capital. The blast occurred when two fighter jets sought to intercept an unresponsive aircraft before it crashed in the eastern US state of Virginia.
Residents of Washington and its suburbs reported hearing a thunderous noise that shook windows and walls for miles around and raised many questions on social networks.
Sonic Boom as heard by my dog Rocket in Fairfax Station. Shook the house. #sonicboom pic.twitter.com/WudmPif7uB
— Jared McQueen (@goodguyguybrush) June 4, 2023
Two F-16 fighters were mobilized due to the lack of response from a private jet "Cessna 560 Citation V over Washington and northern Virginia," described the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). The two fighter jets took off from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland to join the aircraft, which then crashed in a mountainous area.
NORAD Responds to an Unresponsive Aircraft over the National Capital Region pic.twitter.com/EX7r1B1Uum
— 1st AF/America's AOC (@1stAF) June 4, 2023
President Joe Biden, who was in the region on Sunday, was informed of the incident, said a White House official, the US presidency, without specifying whether precautionary measures had been taken.
According to public data, the plane was registered in the name of Florida-based Encore Motors of Melbourne. Its owner, John Rumpel, told the Washington Post that his entire family was on board, including his daughter as well as a grandchild and nanny. "We don't know anything about the crash," he said.
The plane was not shot down
The civil aircraft had taken off from Elizabethton, Tennessee, to Long Island, New York, according to the US Civil Aviation (FAA). Flightradar24 said, however, that the aircraft turned back after flying over Long Island to head south over Washington and Virginia. According to several US media, the crash site has not yet been located. Investigators hope to visit the scene on Monday.
During the interception attempt, NORAD fighters "were allowed to travel at supersonic speeds and a sonic boom could be heard by local residents," the command said in a statement. The aircraft also launched decoys in an attempt to attract the pilot's attention.
NORAD said it had sought to establish contact with the pilot before the crash of the aircraft, intercepting him around 15:20 p.m. local time (21:20 p.m. in Paris). The aircraft finally crashed near Montebello, about 270 km southwest of Washington, around 15:30 p.m. local time (21:30 p.m. in Paris). The military did not shoot down the plane, several US media reported. No official information has yet been released about the pilot and possible passengers of the aircraft.
50 km east of the federal capital, the Emergency Management Office of the City of Annapolis wanted to reassure residents, indicating that the noise heard "was caused by an authorized flight of the Ministry of Defense. This flight caused a sonic boom." Supersonic booms occur when a device breaks the sound barrier. They can surprise the population and cause damage, especially by breaking windows.