http://www.delmarvanow.com/news/stories/20040221/localnews/451285.html
Sonic boom rocks eastern Sussex Blast prompts 911 calls; Air Force officials say they were unaware of noise or problems By Chip Guy Gannett News Service February 21, 2004 GEORGETOWN -- A sharp boom rocked eastern Sussex County on Friday afternoon, jostling homes and prompting some people to call 911. Emergency officials said they weren't sure what caused the noise around 3:15 p.m., which was felt and heard from Fenwick Island to Angola. Some residents speculated that it was a military jet breaking the sound barrier, causing what is known as a sonic boom. Paul Smith, who lives in the Pot-Nets Bayside community in Long Neck, said whatever it was, it was sharp and short. It didn't feel like an explosion or an earthquake. "It was just, 'Boom,' " Smith said. Just down the street, James Snyder also was rattled by the noise, and left wondering what happened. "We live in a manufactured home community, and I thought maybe a house being delivered fell off a truck," Snyder said. "It didn't actually shake any dishes or glasses, but ... it had that concussion feel to it." At least two people called the county 911 center, said Debbie Jones, a spokeswoman at that facility. Jones said police and other emergency workers were notified of the noise. A quick check was made in the area but turned up nothing. A spokesman for Dover Air Force Base said no one there was aware of the noise, or any problems. Officials at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station in southern Maryland said they didn't know if any planes from their facility were in the area when the noise occurred. A variety of military aircraft ranging from C-130 transports to F-18 jets fly from that air station. Some fly over southern Delaware to conduct tests off the coast. "We have airplanes flying today, but I don't know what's going on," spokesman John Romer said. Romer suggested anyone who heard the noise to contact the Patuxent River Naval Air Station hot line at 1-866-819-9028. Callers should report what they heard, when they heard it and the location. Romer said military officials next week would check flight logs to see if any aircraft were in the area at the time, and whether any might have been responsible for the noise. ______________________________________________ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
