Sonic boom heard over Washington is a rare sound with a rich history

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — People living in and around the nation's capital on Sunday experienced a rare, if startling, sound: A sonic boom.

The boom was heard after U.S. military dispatched a fighter jet to intercept an unresponsive business plane flying over restricted airspace.

The Air Force gave the F-16 permission to fly faster than the speed of sound — something civilian aircraft rarely get to do — as the jet scrambled to catch up with the Cessna Citation. The result was a thunderous rumble that resonated across a metropolitan area that's home to more than six million people.

The business jet eventually crashed in rural Virginia, killing the pilot and three passengers.

Below is an explanation of what sonic booms are and their history in the U.S.

WHAT IS A SONIC BOOM?

Sonic booms are thunderous-like noises that are heard on the ground when airplanes overhead fly faster than the speed of sound. That speed is typically about 760 mph near sea level, but can vary depending on the temperature, altitude and other conditions, according to the Congressional Research Service.

As the plane speeds through the air, the air reacts like fluid. Molecules are pushed aside with great force, “and this forms a shock wave, much like a boat creates a wake in water,” according to NASA.

“When this line of shock wave passes by, listeners on the ground hear a very loud noise," according to an explanation from Australia's University of New South Wales.

Anthony Brickhouse, an associate professor of applied aviation sciences at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, added: “The different surfaces of the aircraft are basically punching through the air. The air actually rushing over the surfaces of the aircraft will cause a sonic boom.”

“When the Space Shuttle orbiter was coming back into the...