Brownwood News – On April 14 at approximately 9:15 p.m. the Brownwood area experienced two very loud booms, about 30 seconds apart, along with shock waves that shook and rattled buildings.
Immediately speculation began as to the source of the booms. Some folks thought it sounded more like an explosion, perhaps from the Camp Bowie industrial area. Rumors went around that it was from a fireball from outer space, entering the Earth’s atmosphere over Texas, and was heard by many across the state, and even in other states. Supposedly Texas A&M University had a report on this theory.
We placed a few phone calls and eliminated the explosion from Camp Bowie theory. Concerning the fireball theory, we checked numerous web sites, including Texas A&M, NASA, the Naval Observatory, and several news sites. There was no mention of a fireball on any of the sites.
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Next we called Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, and asked if it could have been a sonic boom from some of their aircraft. A Sgt. Scott said that none of the aircraft at Dyess could produce such a boom, and that the booms were not heard in Abilene.
Then we contacted the Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base in Ft. Worth, and spoke to MSgt. Jerry Roman. After doing some checking, MSgt. Roman confirmed that the two booms were in fact sonic booms created by two F-16 jet fighters from their base. The two jets were flying at supersonic speeds, but above 30,000-ft. Military aircraft are permitted to fly supersonic over populated areas, as long as they are above 30,000-ft.
Another loud boom was heard on April 16, at approximately 6:30 p.m. MSgt. Roman said that sonic boom was created by an F-1 jet aircraft, from another base.
MSgt. Roman apologized for the booms, and said they are making efforts to minimize them in our area in the future. Since the aircraft were flying at a proper altitude (above 30,000-ft) the military is not liable for any property damage. If you did suffer property damage and would like to discuss it with a military representative, MSgt. Roman said to contact the following:
Air Force Reserve Command Inspector General
Phone 478-329-1493 email: [email protected]
(story by Mike Blagg)