A sonic boom from a military plane rushing toward the crash site in Virginia stunned hundreds in the Washington, D.C. area who witnessed the sound of the explosion on Sunday.
There was a bang as F-16 fighter jets scrambled away from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. investigate a crash The Pentagon said it was after 3:00 p.m. Residents of the capital and surrounding areas remained confused.
The F-16 was deployed after a civilian Cessna, believed to be on autopilot, entered authorized airspace over the capital and then crashed in southwestern Virginia.
The Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency in Washington said blasts were heard throughout the metropolitan area, but “there is no threat at this time.” Officials also denied the fact that a US jet caused the crash of the Cessna.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to the Post’s request for comment.
The sonic boom, which occurs after a car breaks through a sound barrier at 767 mph, can be heard across the capital and cities in Maryland and northern Virginia, prompting many to take to Twitter questioning the explosion that rattled their homes. posted.
Local Matt Cox tweeted after the boom, “The noise shook the coffee table.” “Thank God there are no toddlers in the house.”
The uproar eventually culminated in the hashtag #explosion trending on Twitter on Sunday afternoon as residents shared their experiences.
The Annapolis Emergency Management Agency eventually issued a notice informing residents of the cause of the explosion.
“The loud noise heard across the DMV area was caused by a Pentagon-sanctioned flight,” the official said. “This flight caused a sonic boom.”
The Federal Aviation Administration has not yet confirmed the details of the Cessna plane that crashed. A Cessna can usually carry from seven to her twelve passengers.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are currently investigating the accident.
