According to television news reports from November 10, 2008, a fairly large number of people heard the big boom the evening of November 9, and some may have seen a fireball that produced it. Meteoritic fireballs are usually very brief, lasting from a few seconds to as long as 30-45 seconds. Sonic booms from these fireballs lag behind the bright flash of light generally by at least a minute or two.
Meteor may be to blame for 'sonic' sound A loud boom sounding similar to an explosion rocked the quiet western Arkansas night. No police or fire responded to an accident scene though. So what did Northwest Arkansas and River Valley residents hear? 5NEWS investigated and found a logical explanation. Not only did residents in our region hear the massive boom, one from Spiro and several from Beaver Lake reported seeing yellow and green flashes of light. A spokesman for NASA says he's not aware of what it was but didn't disagree with the theory that a meteor might be to blame. Calls started pouring into the Fort Smith P.D. between 8:30 and 9 Sunday night.