article_detail
Date Published: 27/09/2022
ARCHIVED - Sonic boom startles Murcia residents as plane breaks the sound barrier
A US fighter bomber produced the frightening bang as it passed over the Region
A siesta was out of the question in Murcia on Monday September 26 as a tremendous explosion rattled the Region shortly before 4.30pm. Startled residents jumped on social media to report the loud bang, many voicing concern and wondering what could possibly have caused such a racket.
“The whole house just rumbled as if an explosion had occurred. Does anyone know what happened?” one person tweeted.
“We just felt two explosions in Sangonera. Has it been a plane breaking the sound barrier?,” asked another.
The second tweeter had it right. The extraordinary sound was produced by a US fighter bomber which managed to break the sound barrier on its flight over Murcia, creating a sonic boom. The high-tech military jet departed from the Los Llanos international airbase in Albacete, where NATO forces operate.
The Spanish Air Force is currently running its Tactical Leadership Programme for 2022, which involves pilots manoeuvring “supersonic flights” over the Region between September 19 and 29. Because of the noise they generate, these flights have been restricted to the afternoons, but they have still caught many people off guard.
The aircraft which caused Monday’s commotion is a United States McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle model whose official maximum speed is 3017km/h. The jet crossed over the Mar Menor and flew towards the regional capital before turning around and heading over the Mula River and Sierra Espuña.
On its return, the bomber took another trip past the lagoon and headed off to Alicante.
According to the 112 emergency services, the powerful sonic boom felled a traffic signal at exit 140 of the A-30 and, although operators received several call from concerned residents reporting the explosion, no injuries were reported.
La explosión de Murcia es un F15 Americano pic.twitter.com/ukDgHM2OvF
— s4wek ðŸ‹ðŸ”»ðŸ‹ ~afros~ (@s4wek) September 26, 2022
Image: FlightRadar24
Loading
Sign up for the Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin and get an email with all the week’s news straight to your inbox
Special offer: Subscribe now for 25% off (36.95 euros for 48 Bulletins)
OR
you can sign up to our FREE weekly roundup!
Read some of our recent bulletins:
25% Discount Special Offer subscription:
36.95€ for 48 Editor’s Weekly News Roundup bulletins!
Please CLICK THE BUTTON to subscribe.
(List price 3 months 12 Bulletins)
Read more stories from around Spain:
Contact Spanish News Today: Editorial 966 260 896 /
Office 968 018 268