United States | There was a big bang in Washington: A fighter jet broke the sound barrier, an illegally flown small plane fell to the ground

Washington

Countless people were scared by a mysterious bang in and around the US capital, Washington, in the states of Maryland and Virginia on Sunday.

The bang that was heard around 15:30 local time, i.e. 22:30 Finnish time, was said to have shaken windows and even walls. The sound was heard in an area with a diameter of at least 50 kilometers.

Authorities quickly informed that there is no dangerous situation in progress. About half an hour after the crash, they said that it was a flight approved by the Ministry of Defense. Many speculated that the reason was training, and several residents of the area expressed their anger on social media that the sound barrier breach had not been announced in advance.

A little later, however, the authorities announced, according to the Reuters news agency, that the fighter jets had broken the sound barrier after chasing a small plane that had illegally entered Washington’s airspace.

The small Cessna plane later crashed in a mountainous area in southwestern Virginia. According to the authorities, the fighter jets had nothing to do with its downfall.

A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that the Cessna was believed to be flying on autopilot and did not respond to attempts to contact authorities.