An intoxicated pilot was arrested in Hungary after stealing a small aircraft and flying towards a nuclear power plant before crash-landing into a field, the Hungarian National Police announced on Sunday.
According to Hungarian authorities, the man stole a Cessna 172 from Kalocsa Airport before the Hungarian Defense Forces spotted him on radar and dispatched a pair of Gripen fighter aircraft to intercept him. He then attempted an emergency landing in a sunflower field in Gerjen, sustaining minor injuries and damaging the aircraft in the process.
In a video released by the police, an officer explains that the suspect removed the Cessna's tie-down ropes before taking off from a service road.
After crash-landing in the field, the pilot walked to a nearby road and flagged down a passing driver for assistance, then unsuccessfully attempted to steal the driver's vehicle before being arrested, according to police.
Hungarian Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi commented on the incident in a Facebook post on Saturday, calling it a "strange alert."
The defense minister thanked the Hungarian Defense Forces for their "quick response" and "steadfastness," emphasizing that no injuries were sustained by any of the personnel responding ot the incident.
"The Gripens found the damaged plane and remained above the scene until the rescue helicopter and ground rescue units arrived," he said. "The police and the competent authorities also arrived at the scene, and the inspection and investigation began."
Aircraft flew towards nuclear plant responsible for around half of country's power
Ruszin-Szendi noted that the aircraft flew towards Paks, home to a nuclear power plant which produces about half of the nation's electricity, according to the plant's website.
The plant in question experienced an accident in 2003 involving the cleaning of fuel assemblies in the storage pool near the reactor, with the website noting that the incident "did not lead to radioactive emissions and had no impact on the plant’s safety."
Following the incident, the police said they worked with the Hungarian Civil Aviation Authority to conduct a joint investigation at Kalocsa Airport, with similar inspections expected at additional airports in the near future.