North Yorkshire 'earthquake' confirmed to have been sonic boom caused by Swiss fighter aircraft

A loud rumbling noise heard in North Yorkshire yesterday and thought to be an earthquake was actually a sonic boom.
By Grace Newton
Published 18th Nov 2021, 14:53 GMT

The noise was heard in York, Malton, Whitby, Redcar, Staithes and the North York Moors just before 4pm on Wednesday.

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Although a sonic boom was speculated at the time, no RAF aircraft capable of breaking the sound barrier appeared to have been in the area.

The Swiss Air Force jet was training over the North SeaThe Swiss Air Force jet was training over the North Sea
The Swiss Air Force jet was training over the North Sea
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However the mystery has now been solved as the fighter jet involved actually belongs to Switzerland's military.

The Swiss Air Force have now released a statement confirming one of their F-18 Hornets was training over the North Sea at the time, as a detachment is based at RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire.

Climactic conditions could have played a role in the noise being heard on land, as they are not usually audible from out at sea.

Yorkshire's most famous sonic boom incident was in May 2016, when two RAF Typhoon jets broke the sound barrier above Harrogate. They had been scrambled to intercept an Air France flight that air traffic controllers has been unable to contact. It later landed safely at Newcastle Airport.

Related topics:North YorkshireYorkRAFWhitbyMalton