Sonic Boom Shakes Washington as Fighter Jets Scramble to Intercept Plane flying in restricted airspace

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On Sunday afternoon, a private jet plane flew into restricted airspace, over the capitol. And the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), responded. Fighter jets scrambled. And a loud sonic boom shook the region, reaching as far as the suburbs of Virginia and Maryland.

The Cessna encroached upon restricted airspace, including national landmarks. And despite the FAA’s multiple attempts to establish contact they received no reply.

NORAD is responsible for overseeing aerospace control over the United States and Canada. And it deployed two F-16 jets to intercept an errant Cessna 560 Citation V that was not responsive. 

NORAD made every effort to attract the attention of the Cessna’s pilot. The military jets deployed flares that were visible from the ground. Despite these efforts, the pilot remained unresponsive.

A few minutes later the Cessna crashed in the George Washington National Forest.

Sonic Boom 

NORAD and the FAA authorities emphasize that the Cessna was not shot down. No weapons were fired. And the sonic boom was the result of the military jets speeding to address the breach of restricted airspace.