31 August 2026 , 16:23
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A pilot has been arrested on suspicion of stealing a light aircraft before landing it in the middle of a sunflower field near a nuclear power plant.
Authorities in Hungary deployed two supersonic fighter jets after a man took off in an allegedly stolen Cessna from Kalocsa airfield.
He proceeded to fly the jet into restricted airspace around the Paks nuclear power plant before conducting ‘manoeuvres’ over the facility, according to local reports.
After being detected by military radar, Gripen fighters were dispatched to follow the aircraft, which made an emergency landing in a sunflower field in Tolan county, around 84 miles south of capital Budapest.
The 24-year-old pilot appeared under the influence of alcohol when he emerged from the crashed plane.
According to Hungary’s police force, Rendorseg, the suspect then attempted to flee the scene by taking control of a passing car.
He was found with minor injuries before being arrested by officers, who are now investigating the incident.
The force said it was conducting a joint inspection of Kalocsa airfield alongside the country’s aviation authority, with similar checks at other airports to follow.
Sharing the incident on Facebook, Hungarian defence minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi called the incident a ‘strange alert’.
He said: ‘The Hungarian Defense Forces are ready. In the air. On the ground. 24 hours a day.
‘The most important thing, however, is that according to our current information, there was no personal injury.
‘Thank you to the defense forces for their quick response and stance.’
Politics Editor