Seymour Johnson acknowledges sonic boom
By Turner Walston
Published in News on December 14, 2005 1:48 PM
A sonic boom was heard last night over Goldsboro as an F-15E Strike Eagle pilot from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base inadvertently reached Mach 1 during a training mission.
The incident happened about 9:30 p.m., according to a 4th Fighter Wing spokesman.
Lt. Col. Mark Kelly, commander of the 333rd Fighter Squadron, said Air Force officials recognize the annoyance to civilians, especially at night, but said that aggressive training sometimes leads to such mishaps.
"The peacetime training skills that they develop over Wayne and Johnson County are the same skills that keep them safe and keep the enemy on the run in wartime," Kelly said.
"We know this can be very disturbing to residents, especially at night, so we do our best to avoid such incidents. Our relationship with the residents of Goldsboro and Wayne County is very important to us. Their support is critical to maintaining the ability to train realistically so that we're ready to go to war when our nation calls."