Hungary investigates after allegedly stolen Cessna enters restricted airspace near Paks nuclear plant

Hungarian authorities are investigating after a light aircraft allegedly stolen from Kalocsa airfield entered restricted airspace around the Paks nuclear power plant and was tracked by military jets before crashing in a sunflower field. The pilot, described in local reporting as a 24-year-old man, was later arrested after trying to flee the scene. Officials said the aircraft came down in Tolan county, about 84 miles south of Budapest.

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According to the available account, the aircraft was a Cessna that took off from Kalocsa airfield before flying into the protected zone around the nuclear facility. Military radar detected the plane and two Gripen fighter jets were dispatched to follow it. The aircraft then carried out manoeuvres over the plant before making an emergency landing, authorities said.

Police said the pilot appeared to be under the influence of alcohol when he got out of the crashed plane. They added that he attempted to escape by taking control of a passing car, but was found with minor injuries and detained by officers. Hungary's police force is now investigating the incident, while a joint inspection of Kalocsa airfield is being carried out with the country's aviation authority, with similar checks at other airports expected to follow.

The incident is significant because it involved a suspected theft of an aircraft, a breach of restricted airspace and a response involving fighter jets near a nuclear power plant. The Paks plant is one of Hungary's most sensitive strategic sites, so any unauthorised aircraft movement in its airspace raises immediate security concerns. The episode also highlights the overlap between civil aviation oversight, police work and military readiness when a flight path threatens a protected facility.

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The defence minister described the event as a "strange alert" and said the armed forces were ready in the air and on the ground around the clock. He also said that, based on current information, there had been no personal injury. That statement suggests the immediate priority has shifted from interception to determining how the aircraft was taken, how it reached the restricted zone and whether airport security procedures were followed.

What remains unclear is the full sequence of events before take-off, including how the aircraft was allegedly stolen and whether any wider security breach occurred at the airfield. Authorities have not yet said what charges the pilot may face or whether the incident exposed any vulnerability at other airports. The next developments are likely to come from the police investigation, the aviation authority's inspections and any further official assessment of the response near Paks.

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