David Montagné, edited by Gauthier Delomez 06:14, June 16, 2022
On June 8, a small plane crossed the airspace of eight European countries.
Fighter jets managed to intercept the twin-engine, but its occupants vanished after landing on a disused runway in Bulgaria.
Europe 1 returns to this incredible story, in the midst of war between Russia and Ukraine.
It is an unusual story in the European sky, in the midst of war between Russia and Ukraine.
On June 8, a small civilian plane crossed the airspace of eight European countries, members of NATO.
The twin had no flight plan, the transponder was off, and there was also no response to radio calls.
The occupants of this plane, an old Piper Aztec, managed to thwart no less than seven air defences, including six NATO member countries.
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The plane had taken off from an airfield in Lithuania, before flying over Poland.
It was only when the aircraft was over Hungary that the alert was given.
It was followed and intercepted by Hungarian Air Force fighters, joined by two American and Romanian F-16s.
The occupants of the plane still not found
Also alerted, the Bulgarian forces did not see fit to escort the aircraft, considering that it had not posed a threat at any time.
An inaction that questions some observers, especially since the airspaces are particularly monitored because of the war in Ukraine.
The aircraft was finally found on June 9, abandoned on a disused airfield near the Black Sea coast in Bulgaria.
The occupants of the aircraft remain untraceable.
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The registration of the aircraft made it possible to trace its former owner.
It is a Lithuanian officer who allegedly sold the plane a few days earlier to foreigners, one of whom spoke Russian.
An investigation was opened to try to find the identity of the pilot and the motivations of his journey.