A Hungarian Gripen fighter jet was destroyed near Szolnok on Monday after issuing an emergency warning and making a forced landing before catching fire, military officials said. The pilot ejected and suffered a spinal injury but was in good condition and is due to undergo surgery.
‘The fighter jet’s pilot is doing well,’ the North Pest Central Hospital-Honvéd Hospital said in a statement. Medical examinations showed that the pilot suffered a spinal injury during the ejection and would require surgery, which was scheduled for Tuesday.
Neurosurgeon György Székely of the hospital told state broadcaster M1 that the pilot was in ‘very good condition’ when he arrived at the hospital.
He said the planned operation was a relatively minor spinal procedure that was expected to provide the pilot with the greatest likelihood of a full recovery.
The accident occurred during a training flight involving two Gripens flying together and conducting a simulated air combat exercise, according to military officials.
Hungarian Chief of Defence Staff Lieutenant General Zsolt Sándor said the lead aircraft issued a warning during the final phase of the exercise, forcing the pilots to abandon the training mission.
The aircraft could no longer reach Kecskemét, so the pilots decided to land at the Szolnok air base. The accompanying fighter supported the damaged aircraft during its approach.
‘The aircraft’s instrumentation disappeared from the cockpit, and this situation persisted practically until landing,’ Sándor said in a video published on Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi’s Facebook page.
After landing, however, the fighter began an unexpected manoeuvre on the ground, prompting the pilot to eject. The aircraft veered to the left, came to a stop and caught fire.
The pilot’s condition was initially described as stable by Hungary’s National Ambulance Service. He was taken to the Honvéd Hospital in Budapest.
Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said the pilot had attempted to keep the aircraft over military property and had only ejected after the forced landing.
The minister said the fighter was carrying air-to-air missiles and cannon ammunition, which could have caused further damage if firefighters had not quickly brought the blaze under control.
No civilian infrastructure was damaged and no other injuries were reported.
Hungary has suspended Gripen training flights until the investigation into the accident is completed. Only aircraft assigned to alert duties will continue to perform operational tasks, Sándor said.
Swedish experts are also expected to participate in the investigation, while analysis of the aircraft’s flight recorder remains pending.
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