Residents, experts demand answers after building windows shatter during Chicago Air & Water Show practice

CBS News

21 hours ago

This past Friday, windows at several lakefront apartment buildings shattered during practice for the Chicago Air & Water Show.
Now, aviation experts are calling for an investigation.
Last week, an Air Force spokesperson said the Thunderbird jets were not traveling at supersonic speed, or faster than the speed of sound, at any point during the demonstration. But questions remained about what happened, and if someone would be held responsible for the damage.
The booms were felt across the lakefront. They shook and startled people on the Belmont Rocks, and in the stands and dugout of Wrigley Field during the seventh-inning stretch of the Cubs game on Friday.
The blasts on Friday were so strong that they broke the windows at four buildings — 3180 N. Lake Shore Dr., 3600 N. Lake Shore Dr., 3950 N. Lake Shore Dr., and 4200 N. Marine Dr.
"It went through my body. I felt it in the apartment," said James Baran. "The window actually flexed right near me."
Baran lives in the 3180 N. Lake Shore Dr. building and is on the board of directors. Three massive lobby windows were shattered in the building Friday morning.
"I really believe it was a sonic boom," said Baran. "It was just so incredibly loud."
While the Air Force said its F-16 jets were not traveling at supersonic speed, that does not mean people like Baran do not feel they deserve an answer as to what happened.
"We really need a post-accident investigation here," said DePaul University transportation and aviation expert Joe Schwieterman, "because something went amiss."
Schwieterman said either the Federal Aviation Administration or the National Transportation Safety Board should investigate what happened with the Thunderbird jets on Friday. He said the investigation should look at the angle of the planes, the direction of the thrust, and atmospheric changes.
"There likely was a heavy vibration combined with a sound that just had a jarring effect," said Schwieterman. "This is quite unusual for an air show. Something really went wrong."
CBS News Chicago reached out to the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications, which referred questions to the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and the Thunderbirds. CBS News Chicago also reached DCASE, which suggested contacting the Air Force.
The Air Force had not provided a response as of 10 p.m. Tuesday.
Both Baran and Schwieterman said the city and the public need to hear from someone so this does not happen again.
"If nothing else, we have a teachable and learnable moment in that sound really can have impact," Baran said.
CBS News Chicago also reached out to the FAA and the NTSB to see if they will investigate the damage. There was no immediate response.
In further addition, CBS News Chicago has also reached out to the management of each building. They all declined to comment.