Moment when sonic boom shakes Washington DC: Residents are brought to a terrifying halt as F-16s chased private Cessna over no-fly zone before it crashed killing all four occupants
- The US military is on a supersonic pursuit of an unresponsive aircraft with fighter jets
- The supersonic chase caused a sonic boom that was heard by the citizens of Virginia
Virginia residents were brought to a terrifying halt yesterday after two F-16 fighter jets released a sonic boom as they pursued a doomed private jet that later crashed.
The unresponsive Cessna Citation private jet violated airspace around Washington DC on Sunday, prompting the US military to send the fighter jets into a supersonic chase before the light aircraft crashed into the Virginia mountains.
Four people were killed in the crash, including the 49-year-old daughter Adina Azarian of Trump backers John and Barbara Rumpel and their grandchild.
The US military had tried to contact the plane’s pilot while in pursuit of the Cessna, but they did not respond. The plane appeared to be flying on autopilot, officials said.
The fighter jets created a sonic boom over the capitol as they chased the errant Cessna, causing consternation among people in the Washington area who at the time had no idea what was causing the sound.
Virginia residents were brought to a terrifying halt yesterday after two F-16 fighter jets released a sonic boom as they pursued a doomed private jet that later crashed. Pictured: Search and rescue teams will search for the Montebello crash site on Sunday
Flight path of an aircraft, N611VG, flying into the New York area before making a U-turn and flying directly over Washington DC. It dropped quickly at the end. It is possible that the sonic booms were aircraft scrambling (either DCANG being in a drill) or AC F-16 or both pic.twitter.com/5uAYLVxEvL
— Andrew Leiden (@PenguinSix) June 4, 2023
Images show that residents of Virginia were startled by the sonic boom, which could be heard for miles.
The military later said the F-16s were authorized to travel at supersonic speeds, causing a sonic boom that could be heard in Washington and parts of Virginia and Maryland.
“A sonic boom may have been heard by residents of the region,” the North American Aerospace Defense Command said, adding that NORAD aircraft also used flares in an attempt to get the pilot’s attention. A US official said the fighters did not cause the crash.
It shocked many people in the Washington area who took to Twitter to report hearing a loud noise that shook the ground and walls. Several residents said they heard the sound as far north as Virginia and Maryland.
Here, MailOnline looks at footage of Virginia residents startled by the sonic boom.
The video shows Kay, a Virginia resident, filming herself speaking as the piercing sound of the sonic boom is heard overhead.
Kay was about to speak to the camera when a loud bang was heard, causing the resident to look around in shock. “Y’all what the hell,” she says.
She later shared the footage on Twitter, writing, “I literally just went to shoot a video and the bang went off.
Another video, shared on Twitter, shows a musician and his singer wife preparing to record a song together at their home in Fairfax, Virginia, when they were startled by the sonic boom.
The couple smiled and played the first few seconds of the song as the piercing sound of the bang hit.
You can see the musicians quickly getting up from their seats to try and figure out what had happened before the video stopped.
Another video shows a dog lying on a lounger outside a family home in Fairfax station when the sonic boom was heard overhead.
The dog, named Rocket, quickly jumps off the chair and races to the safety of the house.
Jared McQueen shared the footage on Twitter, writing, “Sonic Boom as heard by my dog Rocket in Fairfax Station. Shook the house.’