13 April 2012

"Loud Boom" Caused By Typhoon Aircraft

Ministry of Defence (MoD) have confirmed a ”loud bang” reported to emergency services yesterday evening was the sonic boom from a Typhoon aircraft.

Emergency services across large parts of England were inundated with calls around 18:10 on Tuesday as confused residents reported hearing a “loud boom”.

A Coventry resident called Gary said: "I thought somebody had thrown a brick at the house."

He added: "When I went out there were quite a few people in the street wondering what it was."

The MoD, who originally said they were investigating the reports, later revealed that a Typhoon aircraft responding to an emergency call caused the noise. A sonic boom is created when an aircraft breaks the sound barrier, resulting in a high-energy shockwave.

Two RAF Typhoons had been launched following an emergency call from a small civilian helicopter.

A spokesman said the Typhoons had been cleared to go supersonic after the helicopter broadcast an emergency signal on a frequency only used when an aircraft was in particular trouble, such as a hijacking.

However the helicopter had accidentally broadcast on the wrong frequency, the pilot only realising after the Typhoons had been launched.

"There was no actual threat to the civilian aircraft and they soon rectified their mistake," the MoD spokesman added.

It is the second time this year that a sonic boom has been created by a Typhoon aircraft.

In January, the MoD confirmed that an RAF fighter jet breaking the sound barrier caused a loud noise heard by people across the north of England.

(H)