[meteorite-list] Sonic Boom Over Missouri Was Fighter Jet, Not Exploding Meteorite

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon Jun 28 00:20:46 2004
Message-ID: <200406280415.VAA15288_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/9020808.htm?

Loud noise was sonic boom, not exploding meteorite
Associated Press
June 26, 2004

HARTVILLE, Mo. - The object that produced a loud boom over Webster
County came not from outer space - but from St. Louis.

Some NASA experts thought that the boom, heard - and felt - on the
morning of June 19, was the sound of a meteorite exploding in the
atmosphere. It turned out to be a sonic boom, from a new F/A-18
Hornet fighter jet on a test flight from the Boeing-McDonnell
Douglas plant in St. Louis.

"He was flying high - over 40,000 feet - and was testing the plane
to get to Mach 1," said Boeing spokesman Jim Keller. "We checked
and he had gone supersonic at 9:14 a.m."

All new F/A-18 jets undergo similar supersonic tests before
delivery, Keller said.

"They're being tested regularly, under the control of FAA flight
controllers in Kansas City," he said.

The explanation satisfied scientists' curiosity - and prompted one
Hartsville resident to fire off an angry letter to Gov. Bob Holden.

"When these aircraft do this it causes my windows to crack," Mary
Katzenberger wrote. "I (also have) windows that had small cracks
that are much larger because of this. My dear old dog was throwing
up all day from it. Our neighbor's cattle stampeded ..."

"If, Dear Gov., you can find some way of stopping this dangerous
use of our fighting aircraft, I with many other residents of the
city and county of Hartville will be very grateful to you."

Katzenberger told the Springfield News-Leader she heard a similar
boom in February.

"We have a lot of Amish families out here, and a lot of women
drive those horse-drawn buggies," she said. "You don't want to
spook their horses with a sonic boom."

Holden's office received the letter but had no immediate response.

But Keller, the Boeing spokesman, said the tests are necessary.

"It's kind of the price of freedom," he said. "We build these
planes and we have to test them. Sonic booms come with the
territory."
Received on Mon 28 Jun 2004 12:15:42 AM PDT