Sonic booms and at least one fireball in the sky were reported in Texas on Sunday, less than a week after two satellites collided in space and a day after the Federal Aviation Administration asked U.S. pilots to watch for "falling space debris," authorities said.
The Federal Aviation Administration has received numerous reports of falling debris across Texas, which could be related to a recent satellite collision. Some of the callers around midmorning Sunday reported what looked like a fireball in the sky. FAA spokesman Roland Herwig said officials suspect the debris could be related to the collision, but he said that had not been confirmed.
I'm getting reports that an extremely bright fireball was seen in broad daylight over Texas (near San Antonio and Austin) around 11:00 a.m. local time (about an hour ago as I write this). [Update: some fireball reports came in from Kentucky on Friday, but it's unclear if the KY event is connected, since it was a while back. Its possible, so I remain agnostic for now.] Source
Despite preliminary reports by Williamson County officials that a small aircraft went down, officials now say it's likely just space debris from two satellites crashing. Williamson County officials used a helicopter to try and locate the reported small aircraft, but they were unable to find anything.
Many viewers have contacted 10 News since Friday evening saying they saw a bright light go across the sky at about 10 p.m. Friday evening. Some described the light as a greenish colour, others said it was white, and some said it had a blue appearance.
KEYE TV has received several calls of fireballs falling from the sky. Eye-witnesses say the event began around 11:00p.m. Central time. Officials at the Austin airport say they have received several calls as well, including operators from 9-11 inquiring about the incident but they have no confirmed reports of falling debris or impact areas.