In Hungary, A Drunk Man Hijacked A Plane And Headed For A Nuclear Power Plant

• 30.08.2026, 15:14

Fighter jets took to the skies.

In Hungary, law enforcement officers detained a 24-year-old man who, while intoxicated, stole a Cessna 172 light aircraft from the airport in Kalocsa.

As the aircraft approached the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, the Hungarian Armed Forces scrambled a pair of JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets, reported by Defense Minister Romulush-Rushin Shendi and local media.

Since a no-fly zone is in effect around the nuclear power plant—civilian aviation is prohibited within a 3-km radius at altitudes below 6,000 m—military radars immediately detected the violation.

The flight lasted only a few minutes and ended with an emergency landing in a cornfield near the village of Geren. Upon touching down, the plane’s landing gear broke, and it came to a stop leaning on its wing. Hungarian fighter jets located the crash site and remained in the air until a helicopter and ground rescue teams arrived.

After the failed landing, the hijacker abandoned the plane and ran onto the highway, where he attempted to steal the car of a driver who had stopped to help him. However, the car’s owner prevented the theft, and a few minutes later, the suspect was detained by police.

According to law enforcement, the suspect was intoxicated; authorities are also investigating whether he had used other substances. No one was injured in the incident. The police took the man into custody and initiated his arrest.