Many area residents still question the origin of a loud boom heard earlier this month, but according to the Ozark County Times, it was most likely caused by an F-15 jet. Boeing has confirmed to Ozark Radio News the company conducted an acceptance flight in the area on the afternoon of June 6th.
Springfield television stations KYTV and KSPR reported the boom happened around 12:15 p.m. The Howell County Sheriff’s Department alone took more than 40 calls, in a short period of time. The West Plains Police Department says calls about the boom kept its five lines ringing. The calls did not slow down for more than an hour-and-a-half.
Social media reports across the Twin Lakes Area included accounts of the loud noise.
The National Weather Service office in North Little Rock called KYTV and KSPR because it, too, had so many questions from callers.
Ozark Radio News had reported the calls came from an area as far south as Pocahontas, as far west as Gainesville, as far east as Summersville and as far north as Salem, Missouri. The Missouri media group called the Little Rock Air Force Base and the Whiteman Air Force Base near Knob Noster to find out if either base was conducting military exercises, but the answer was no from both.
Ozark Radio News eventually contacted Boeing’s St. Louis office to inquire about testing, and a company spokeswoman confirmed the jet in the area and stated acceptance flights are normally conducted by a customer after the purchase of an aircraft. Boeing’s website notes an F-15 Eagle’s maximum speed is listed as 2.5 Mach, and its maximum ceiling is 70,000 feet.
The Ozark County Times reports while the flight likely caused the boom, the theory is pure speculation.
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