Sonic boom from aircraft testing frightens residents around Valley

July 02, 2009 10:03 pm

— Officials with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office said they received numerous calls Thursday from residents saying they’d heard a loud explosion.
The majority of calls came from residents in Toney, Hazel Green and Meridianville, according to Investigator Chad Brooks.
An investigation by Madison County Emergency Management Agency officials determined that aircraft tests performed at Arnold Air Force base in Tullahoma, Tenn., broke the sound barrier and caused a sonic boom.
Officials at the base told EMA workers they had alerted area media outlets of the tests but apparently the boom reached farther than expected.
The Madison Sheriff’s Office requested media outlets report the boom to calm fears of an explosion.