Extremely loud double sonic boom in Southeastern Arizona

From the sound after, it appears to have been traveling west. I couldn't see any actual aircraft, however there were a few little bits of contrail which distorted before I was able to take a clear picture. This has happened once before here while I've lived here, so it's not a very common thing.

If anyone else lives in the general area, did you hear such a thing as well?

What is the cause of a double sonic boom? Is it just that it's a larger aircraft, or can fighters do it as well?

did a quick search and here is a link to a site explaining the cause of the double sonic boom.
"The reason there are two of them is because the tail of the plane is wider than the nose. Both the tail and the nose push air fowards, creating two soundwaves. As the plane moves, it runs into them one after the other. Since planes are fairly small, the two soundwaves are really close together and it sounds like the plane hits them both at once. But space shuttles are a lot bigger. The soundwave from the tail is a long way back from the one from the nose, so the shuttle runs into them about 1/2 second apart"
basically from the sounds of it this can happen to any plnes that fits the nose smaller the rest of the plane. and we can sule out the shuttle in your sighting cause it aint even flying yet. Heres the site too.
van.hep.uiuc.edu...

here also is a audio of the shuttles double boom. it really quiet but you get the idea of the spacing of the boom. so my question to you logancale was the boom you heard more spaced out (time wise) then this or less and how long would you guess was between the booms?

Also, just a suggestion, but it might have been two planes. I've never heard a sonic boom, and it's been somewhat rare that I've (knowingly) heard two planes flying at the same time--generally all the planes I've seen are so far apart that you can only hear one or the other--so I can't really say how logical this might be.

its still an idea MCory1 and thanks for giveing it. it is a possiblity and it will be taken as such. though the double boom from the sounds of it happens on every plane and its just a matter of some formula to figure out exactly how you would be able to create a plane that is capable of producing that "double" boom.

Well, I don't live in Southeastern Arizona (I live in Mesa), but I spent all day Sunday in the Safford/Mt. Graham area. Quiet as it was, I 'd certainly have heard something that day.

What day, time did you hear it, and where were you? Were you in the flight path of either Marana or Davis-Monthan?

Check an air chart for "mach corridors" - if you are near one there's your answer.... We have a couple near Edwards....

Originally posted by UofCinLA
Check an air chart for "mach corridors" - if you are near one there's your answer.... We have a couple near Edwards....

couple problems with that if he is near one it would be a more frequent thing having booms near your house also he said that it was a double boom and that is a thing that happens only for a specific aricraft.