A pilot said he 'very nearly had a heart attack' when he saw Typhoon jets on his wing after his plane went unresponsive.
Two military jets were scrambled to intercept the aircraft early yesterday morning, causing a sonic boom that was heard across London and as far afield as Cambridge.
The Boeing 767 was flying between Tel Aviv, Israel, to New Hampshire, USA, when it dropped out of contact.
It was being flown by Steven Giordano for Jet Test, which was transporting the plane to a German buyer in America.
He told the BBC : "I looked left and about had a heart attack when I saw one - so close - strobes on and with blueish 'glow strips' along the side of his fuselage.
"We flashed our landing lights to acknowledge and established radio contact on 'guard'... with the fighters. We were already talking to London control at that point. They remained with us for about five minutes."
He applauded the RAF for its quick response, Mail Online reports.
The aircraft' radio malfunctioned as the plane flew across Germany.
Thousands of people were awoken by the loud 'thud' caused by the Typhoons breaking the speed of sound as they chased the 767.
The sonic boom happened at around 4.20am, setting off car alarms and shaking homes.
Jake Polden said: "It was what sounded like a distant explosion where the air felt like it was being sucked out of my room.
"This was followed by tremors that shook the house maybe three times."
The Royal Air Force jets were scrambled from Coningsby in Lincolnshire after the 767 lost communication in UK airspace, the Ministry of Defence said.
An MOD spokesman added: “The aircraft was intercepted and its communications were subsequently re-established. The Typhoons are returning to their base.”
London’s Metropolitan Police said: “The loud bang heard throughout north London and surrounding areas was the result of a sonic boom from RAF planes. There is no cause for concern.”
