Israel pilot 'nearly had a heart attack' when Typhoon Jets met him in midair

Typhoon: The loud bang was revealed to have been caused by supersonic jets. Photo / Curioso Photography

Londoners reported waking up in the early hours of Sunday morning to a loud bang, caused by supersonic fighter jets.

At 4am in the morning, two Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled over the UK capital in what the Ministry of Defence said was "the UK's Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) procedures, after an aircraft lost communications in UK airspace."

The loud noise was a shock for sleepy residents whose windows were rattled and car alarms set off, with one telling the Guardian newspaper he "thought something had fallen down in our house."

We are aware of reports of a loud bang in the north London area.
There are no reports of an explosion and police are looking into the incident.

There is no cause for public concern.

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) December 1, 2019

However this shock was nothing compared with that of the pilot who had caused the commotion, when he saw the supersonic jets intercept his plane.

Talking to the BBC Steven Giordano a pilot for Jet Test said that he "just about had a heart attack."

The Boeing 767 being piloted by Giordano was making its way from Tel Aviv to New Hampshire in the USA for the company which transports planes for aircraft sales.

'I nearly had a heart attack!' Pilot Giordano had problems with the plane's radio. Photo / Supplied, Instagram, Jettestandtransport

Looking left out of the cockpit the pilot described seeing the fighter jet "so close - strobes on and with blueish "glow strips" along the side of his fuselage," he told the BBC.
The plane reportedly hadn't been responding to radio signals from UK airspace.

"We flashed our landing lights to acknowledge and established radio contact on 'guard'... with the fighters. We were already talking to London control at that point. They remained with us for about five minutes."

🛫Typhoons from @RAFConingsby were scrambled this morning, as part of the UK’s Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) procedures, after an aircraft lost communications in UK airspace. The aircraft was intercepted and communications re-established. The Typhoons have now returned 🛬 #sonicboom

— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) December 1, 2019

The 767 was being sold from and Israeli Airline for a buyer in the States, however there was an issue with some of the on-board equipment.

The former US Marine Corps reservist said his plane radio had begun having problems over Germany.

It took 10 minutes for the jets to respond to the issue and arrive at the passenger jet's location, which impressed Giordano greatly. "I applaud them for that," he told the BBC.
The last contact from the flight from Tel Aviv was received by air traffic control at 3.50am.

The MoD updated its statement at 9am saying that the "aircraft was intercepted and its communications were subsequently re-established."