Something shook San Diego Tuesday night and no one really knew what it was, but Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar said it was possibly due to aircraft training over the Pacific.
"While MCAS Miramar cannot account for every sound event that occurs within the area, in this case the cause is possibly due to aircraft training occurring in the W-291 range, approximately 30 miles southwest of San Diego over the Pacific Ocean," MCAS said in a release.
MCAS Miramar said two aircraft departed the base on June 8 and were conducting air-to-air combat training.
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Since the mid-1970s, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has largely restricted supersonic flight over land. However, over the Pacific and at that distance, supersonic speed is within all FAA statutes and military regulations, MCAS Miramar explained.
The shaking was reported at around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday and San Diegans, including some NBC 7 San Diego staff, took to Twitter to see if anyone else felt their homes shake, or heard a rattling boom.
Reporter Melissa Adan thought her home was under siege.
The U.S. Geological Survey did not report any local earthquakes. Duty Seismologist Jonathan Tytell said the "event" was picked up by three sensors; one in Rosarito, Mexico, another in Pala, and a third on Barrett Mountain. Tytell said the "event" definitely wasn't an earthquake.
Late Tuesday night, 2021 PGA Champion Phil Mickelson chimed in and took credit for the boom.
"My bad. I was testing a few drivers," Mickelson tweeted. The six-time major winner has reinvented his game late in his career, and it's all about hitting "bombs and hellacious seeds."
Mickelson is in the field at the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines next week. For more major championship coverage, click here.
MCAS Miramar said this practice has been occurring for well over the 24 years the Marine Corps has operated from Miramar.
