SUPERSONIC

U.S. Jets Cause Loud Sonic Boom While Chasing Civilian Plane Over D.C.

People as far away as Maryland and Virginia report hearing a sonic boom from the Pentagon jets.

The Pentagon scrambled several fighter jets to intercept a civilian aircraft that violated U.S. airspace over Washington, D.C., officials confirmed Sunday to Reuters. The jets caused a loud sonic boom heard across the region as well, shocking hundreds of locals. “The loud boom that was heard across the DMV area was caused by an authorized DOD flight. This flight caused a sonic boom,” the Annapolis Office of Emergency Management tweeted. Moments after the jets were launched, the unresponsive Cessna aircraft reportedly crashed into southwest Virginia mountains, Reuters reported. A U.S. official told the publication that the jets didn’t cause the Cessna to crash—the plane was believed to be on autopilot and was unresponsive to contact efforts. It’s unclear if anyone was even in the plane at the time.