Did you feel that?

[Seeb]

If there was an explosion in sea view big enuff for me to hear in HPP there would be a giant smoking hole. A sonic boom is not like a jet taking off, it is prohibited to go super sonic over populated areas so not many people have actually heard the sound

[knieft]

Maybe somebody's been messing around with Tesla's later projects...

Cheers,
Kirt

[Obie]

Ground width of the boom exposure area is approximately 1 statute mile (1.6 km) for each 1,000 feet (300 m) of altitude (5 m/m); that is, an aircraft flying supersonic at 30,000 feet (9,100 m) will create a lateral boom spread of about 30 miles (48 km), or at 10,000 meters a spread of 50 kilometers. For steady supersonic flight, the boom is described as a carpet boom since it moves with the aircraft as it maintains supersonic speed and altitude. Some maneuvers, diving, acceleration or turning, can cause focusing of the boom. Other maneuvers, such as deceleration and climbing, can reduce the strength of the shock.In some instances weather conditions can distort sonic booms.

[Kelena]

The Space Shuttle was unique in that it produced triple sonic booms (bam, bam, bam!)while no its way to a landing at Edwards A.F.B. (Dryden). When I worked for NASA, we would get claims from people along that path for damage to windows, and occasionally to falling objects. The Shuttle had a gradual, and with two tragic exceptions, smooth descent of course, with no diving or unusual manoeuvres and so the boom and its effects were not felt at a single source, but along the path, with pockets that felt a bigger punch. The Government was straightforward about these claims, evaluating them and paying them when appropriate. Of course, we sometimes got claims when the Shuttle wasn't flying -- those would go to the intern. Me! My point is that for the reasons Obie mentions, this is unlikely to have been a sonic boom as there is a path the boom follows. It generally doesn't focus on one house like a death ray.

For now, I am going with the working theory that a lovely Tongan drag queen slipped and fell while practicing her routines.

[rbakker]

Actually, most people *have* heard a sonic boom before, just not this loud (if that is the explanation).
It's what gives a whip its crack.

[Obie]

The sound of a bullet{the crack you hear}is also a sonic boom.

Growing up in Ohio in the 50's and 60's I remember hearing sonic booms from aircraft almost daily.

[missydog1]

I too heard a lot of sonic booms when growing up. I went to high school somewhat near EAB in the late 60's, and Neil Armstrong was our next door neighbor. His buddies used to do flyovers to have "fun" with him.

Even without that, it was common to hear. But cannot compare, as this boom wasn't audible this far north. Darn, I feel left out.

[opihikao]

Does anyone know if any agency, either Federal or State is looking into this? Civil Defense or somebody should be doing some kind of investigation, right?

Don't know how these things work, but isn't somebody going to tell us something??? Please....(The imagination runs wild when we don't know...!)

I was listening to the scanner when it happened and all units were sent out first to the geothermal plant, and the "triangled area" where people were calling in from...

Wonder if we'll ever know...Yikes! Thanks for the interesting posts.

[rbakker]

Leilani, HPP, HA, Black Sands, Fern Forest, Eden Roc, Seaview
Anywhere else?

[hotinhawaii]

Leilani, HPP, HA, Black Sands, Fern Forest, Eden Roc, Seaview
Anywhere else?

Opihikao. We felt the strong rumble and heard the noise but it sounded like it was north of us.