Stolen Cessna flies toward nuclear plant, prompting Hungarian Gripen scramble

Hungarian Air Force Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighters were scrambled on the morning of August 29, 2026, after a man took off without authorization from the Kalocsa airfield in a Cessna 172 and flew toward the Paks nuclear power plant. The aircraft came down in a sunflower field before the fighters reached it.

The Hungarian Ministry of Defense published a statement by Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi at 10:02 local time on August 29, 2026, saying military radars detected the aircraft immediately and the quick reaction alert pair launched. 

Minutes later, the Cessna made a forced landing near Gerjen, in Tolna County. The Gripens located the damaged aircraft and stayed overhead until a rescue helicopter and ground units arrived. Ruszin-Szendi said no one was injured.

Police open vehicle-taking case

Hungarian Air Force Gripen fighters. (Credit: Saab)

The National Police Headquarters said at 11:45 local time on August 29, 2026, that officers had been called to a forced landing on the edge of Gerjen and established that the Cessna 172 had been taken from the Kalocsa airfield. 

The pilot left the aircraft and was walking on Route 512 in a confused state when a passing motorist stopped to help. He got into the car and tried to drive off before being stopped, and officers detained a 24-year-old man from Szomor nearby within minutes.

Police said the man was intoxicated, and that officers were checking whether he was under the influence of any other substance. Bács-Kiskun and Tolna county police are opening proceedings for unauthorized taking of a vehicle and further offenses, and will apply for his pretrial detention after questioning.

Airfield checks extended nationwide

The damaged Cessna 172 sits in a sunflower field near Gerjen after making a forced landing. (Credit: Hungarian Police)

Police also said they had opened a joint inspection with the aviation authority at the Kalocsa airfield, and that the country’s other airports would follow. Neither statement sets out what those inspections cover or when they conclude.

Neither statement says the Cessna entered the prohibited airspace over the plant. Hungary’s Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP), issued by air navigation service provider HungaroControl, designates LHP1 Paks as a prohibited area, a circle of three kilometers (1.8 miles) radius from ground level to FL195, active around the clock.

It was the second Gripen launch in two days. The ministry said fighters were scrambled on the afternoon of August 28, 2026, over a French-registered Piper PA-28 that later entered Hungarian airspace near Fertőszentmiklós without clearance, and that Hungary had reported the airspace violation to the competent authorities.

Both launches follow the loss of a Hungarian Gripen at Szolnok on August 24, 2026. Hungary agreed in February 2024 to expand the fleet to 18 Gripen C/D aircraft.The post Stolen Cessna flies toward nuclear plant, prompting Hungarian Gripen scramble appeared first on AeroTime.

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