However, the magnitude of the shock was such that had it been due to an aircraft crash, the resulting crater would have been large enough to be easily visible. The unusual lights reported may have been simply the meteor, but may also have included the phenomenon known as earthquake light.
The impact's intensity was so significant that, were it a plane crash, the resulting crater would have been noticeable from afar.  The observed lights might have been caused by a meteor, but they could also be attributed to an unusual phenomenon called earthquake light.