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

[Ron Baalke]

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."