What sounded like fighter jets overhead around noon was, indeed, a pair of fighter jets.

From Coloradoan.com:

“NORAD says two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled over Washington, D.C., after ground controllers lost communication with a small commercial jet on Friday.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command says communication with the jet was restored before the fighters intercepted it, and the fighters returned to Andrews Air Force Base.”

BNO News via WireUpdate reports the jets flew over the city at approximately 11:23 a.m., and that a NORAD official did not know “which company or airline the jet belonged to or why it briefly failed to make contact.” Here’s the NORAD press release.

Tweets from CBS’ White House correspondent, Mark Knoller, have some additional information.

Photo by mikerollinger via Flickr/Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic