‘Drunk’ pilot, 24, steals plane & flies near nuclear power plant as worried officials scramble fighter jets before crash

A PILOT has stolen a plane while allegedly drunk and headed towards a nuclear power plant, sparking a huge emergency manhunt. The worrying flight path triggered a major government response with several fighter jets chasing after the aircraft in Hungary before it crashed in a field. The stolen plane nose-dived into the field – smashing the front Credit: Hungarian National Police The pilot bulldozed through a field of sunflowers Credit: Hungarian National Police The Cessna 172 aircraft had penetrated the no-fly zone around Hungary‘s largest nuclear power plant and sparked an alert on a military radar. Hungarian military quickly mobilised a task force – and set chase after the thrill-seeker. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! The mid-air hunt ended in just a few minutes after the 24-year-old pilot unexpectedly crash-landed in a sunflower field four miles from the plant. Aerial footage shows a flattened path of sunflowers after the plane had bulldozed through the field. The pilot was uninjured – but his plane, allegedly stolen from Kalocsa Airport, was left in a mangled wreck. Following the impromptu emergency landing, the alleged drunkard tried to flee the scene – and headed off on foot along a nearby road. He was spotted “in a distressed state” by a passing driver – who then had to battle off the suspected fiend as he tried to take over his car. Cops said that luckily the allegedly intoxicated pilot “was stopped in time”. Most read in The Sun The “sozzled” flyer had allegedly nicked the plane Credit: Hungarian National Police Cops have been left scratching their heads as to how the man managed to steal a plane Credit: @HVGonline/ Youtube Officers arrested the man at the scene and took him in for questioning. An initial hypothesis suggested that the pilot was “intoxicated” during the incident. Further testing will confirm if he was under the influence of any other substances at the time, cops added. The power plant – which supplies 50 per cent of the nation’s electricity -was undamaged from the mid-air shenanigans. Police are now investigating how the man managed to nick the plane and take off without interruption. It is not the first time “drunken” pilots have been arrested by police. Just this month an allegedly intoxicated pilot was escorted off a plane by cops just minutes before takeoff. David Allsop, 52, was booted off his flight in Georgia, US and had his flight license revoked in disgrace. Shocking footage shows officers bundling the pilot off the craft in front of stunned passengers. After being questioned by cops, Allsop confessed he had drunk “a few beers” the night before and then suggested the odor came from his nicotine gum. Comment now