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Mysterious bang shakes Göttingen's southern city – police are investigating!
A loud bang in Göttingen caused an uproar. The police are investigating the causes, possible detonation or supersonic flight.
Mysterious bang shakes Göttingen's southern city – police are investigating!
On Tuesday night, Göttingen's southern part of town was shaken by a loud bang that woke many residents from their sleep around 2:10 a.m. The noise was described as a “loud rumble,” with many people suspecting it could be a detonation. A police spokesman, André Baumann, confirmed the incident and informed about the police operation, which was based on a caller from Lotzestrasse. She reported that the noise came from the direction of the ice meadow. However, despite intensive investigations in the area, there was no evidence of a specific cause for the bang. Many speculations, including the theory of a firecracker, remained unsubstantiated. No other noticeable noises were reported the rest of the night, which only adds to the mystery surrounding the origin of the bang.
Although the cause of the noise in Göttingen is still unclear, there are parallels to similar incidents that have occurred in the region. NWZonline reported on a supersonic flight by a Eurofighter that flew over Oldenburg at 3 p.m. on November 28th and caused a bang there that could be heard from far away. This occurred during an aerial refueling exercise on a transport aircraft and resulted in the Eurofighter reaching speeds of up to 1289 km/h. Similar booms were even heard near Göttingen, due to a tornado jet traveling at 1,365 km/h.
Rules for supersonic flights and aircraft noise
The Bundeswehr is bound by strict regulations when it comes to military flight operations. While supersonic flights are permitted from Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., various minimum altitudes must be maintained: For example, fighter jets must fly over cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants at an altitude of at least 600 meters in order to keep noise pollution for residents as low as possible. For current supersonic flights, airspace is reserved in advance and the flight path must be planned to avoid densely populated areas. Vibrations caused by sonic booms are pressure surges that can spread in a cone shape behind the sound source, with a cone width of up to 80 kilometers.
The issue of aircraft noise is not only a problem for residents, but also for the aviation industry itself. In order to minimize the health effects of increased noise, the German aviation industry is investing in noise protection measures. Between 1975 and 2022, over 1.15 billion euros were invested in passive noise protection measures, which consist of supporting campaigns to make noise more bearable for citizens.
In summary, it remains to be seen whether the noise in Göttingen's southern city has similar origins to the sonic booms caused by military aircraft. However, the investigation and the mystery surrounding the loud bang have not yet been solved.
You can find out more about current events at Göttingen Tageblatt and NWZonline read about it, and you can find further information about noise protection and aircraft noise at BDL.