Delaware

Sonic Boom is Super Mystery
By Brian K. Ford, Newszap (Delaware), January 16, 1999

So what was it? No one is quite sure what caused the sonic boom that shook the Kent County area on Jan. 8. An aircraft of an unknown origin shot through the sky at supersonic speeds, causing walls to shake and windows to rattle. Numerous phone calls flooded local police offices demanding answers. According to First Lt. Dave Westover, spokesman for the Dover Air Force Base,''Nearby air stations and bases have been contacted in regards to the aircraft, where it came from and why it was flying so low, but no one wants to take responsibility for the aircraft.'' The State News has received several calls from citizens who are still concerned about the incident. Some people believe that there may be a connection between the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels aerial demonstration team who visited the Dover Air Force Base a day earlier and the boom. ''We're not sure what it was, but it wasn't one of our C-5s,'' said Airman First Class C. Todd Lopez of 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs. ''The Blue Angels left on the same day they arrived, between 3:30 and 5 p.m.'' The noise happened around 6:45 p.m. ''There are only two places I believe that aircraft could have come from, the Paxuent Naval Air Station in Maryland or the D.C. National Guard at Andrews Air Force Base, said Tom Mcknight, department chair of Airway Science at Delaware State University. ''They are the only two places that I know of that house aircraft capable of breaking the sound barrier. Normally, they do this over water or high altitudes. I don't think the military wants to say much about the issue.'' Lt. Westover said there were other possibilities as well. ''There are several military installations, such as Langley Air Force Base and Atlantic City Air National Guard Station in New Jersey, in the area that routinely fly throughout the region. We are still looking into the matter,'' Lt. Westover said.