A huge sonic boom heard in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia today was caused when an F-16 jet was scrambled. The FAA confirmed that another plane crashed in a mountainous region in southwestern Virginia earlier today.
The sound of a large explosion was heard around Washington DC as the US military responded to a small plane that violated nearby airspace.
The F-16 was scrambled from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, the home of Air Force One.
Residents in nearby Maryland and Virginia reported hearing a large explosion, which caused panic, but was caused by an F-16 “supersonic authorized to respond,” according to reports.
The rebel plane, a Cessna Citation private jet, crashed in a mountainous region near Staunton, Virginia.
The city of Annapolis Office of Emergency Management said an authorized Department of Defense flight caused the sound, which was heard just after 8 p.m. local time and was recorded as a “seismic event.”
The authority said: “The loud bang heard in the DMV area was caused by an authorized DOD flight.
“This flight caused a sonic boom.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sent a statement about the crash in response to the Mirror when asked about the sonic boom.
The body said: “A Cessna Citation crashed into mountainous terrain in a sparsely populated area of southwestern Virginia around 3pm local time on June 4.
“The plane took off from Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and was en route to Long Island MacArthur Airport in New York.”
Sources reported that the Cessna was on autopilot when it crashed.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said: “We are aware of reports from communities throughout the National Capital Region of a loud ‘boom’ this afternoon. There is no threat at this time.”
The city of Bowie, Maryland added: “We have confirmed that the loud rumble heard in Bowie was a sonic boom from an aircraft leaving Joint Base Andrews.”
The Prince George’s County Police Department also confirmed that they were told it was an exercise.
Journalist Andrew Leyden claimed on Twitter that the DC Air National Guard had been conducting air defense drills over the Chesapeake Bay and was cleared to go supersonic during an alert exercise.
Tom Lynch, a reporter for NBC, said terrified residents called 911 in a great panic after the sound caused windows to shake and alarms to go off.
Reports indicate that the police were forced to call the Federal Aviation Administration for more information.
One Twitter user wrote: “Anyone else in Annapolis heard a big bang and then their house shook?”
“Something big just blew up in Manassas, VA,” another person added.
One person in the US capital even said they thought a truck had hit their home.
They said, “I felt like I was in the eastern suburbs of DC. I thought a truck hit my house.”
People in both Annapolis and Dale City, Virginia, which are about 60 miles away, reported the strange sound.
