OMAHA — A mysterious loud bang Wednesday morning in the Omaha area has been identified as an accidental sonic boom.

“The sonic boom was made by an F-16 from the South Carolina Air National Guard,” said Lt. Col. Les Carroll, with the McEntire Joint National Guard base in South Carolina. “The pilot flew very high to avoid severe weather and was on his descent into Sioux City. There was never any danger to people on the ground.”

Thousands of people heard the boom at about 11 a.m. Wednesday and spent the day trying to figure out what it was. Police fielded hundreds of calls.

Carroll apologized for any anxiety caused by the sonic boom.