Washington: The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) confirmed on Monday that a sonic boom in the Washington DC area and its surroundings was caused by the F-16 fighter jet that intercepted a Cessna Citation business jet.
Earlier in the day, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Sputnik after multiple media reports of loud explosion-like sounds in Washington that the Cessna Citation aircraft crashed in Virginia. The media reported that the aircraft was unresponsive, while the sonic boom was caused by a fighter jet.
“In coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, NORAD F-16 fighter aircraft responded to an unresponsive Cessna 560 Citation V aircraft over Washington, D.C., and northern Virginia on June 4, 2023. The NORAD aircraft were authorized to travel at supersonic speeds and a sonic boom may have been heard by residents of the region,” NORAD said in a statement.
Cessna Citation was intercepted at about 19:20 GMT, the statement noted, adding that NORAD attempted to establish contact with the pilot until the aircraft crashed.
