A loud bang heard across parts of Ryedale was a sonic boom caused by a Swiss military aircraft, it has been confirmed.
The noise was reported in locations including Malton, Pickering and towards Whitby at about 3.50pm on Wednesday.
Residents described homes shaking and windows vibrating, with some suggesting it may have been an earthquake.
However, a Swiss Air Force spokesperson said it had been caused by an F-18 Hornet on a training mission.
The spokesperson said: "The sonic boom heard in the North East of England yesterday was caused by a Swiss Air Force F-18 Hornet aircraft completing operational training inside offshore training areas.
"Any inconvenience caused to local residents is regretted."
A Swiss Air Force detachment is currently based at RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire and is conducting a number of training missions.
Wednesday's flight took place over the North Sea.
The Royal Air Force said normally sonic booms from aircraft out at sea would not be heard on land, but "climatic and wind conditions yesterday may have been a factor".
A sonic boom is a sound associated with shock waves created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding similar to an explosion or a thunderclap
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