Gripen Crashes in Hungary, Pilot in Stable Condition

A Gripen fighter of the Hungarian Armed Forces crashed near Szolnok (E Hungary) for reasons as yet unknown, Prime Minister Péter Magyar said on Facebook on Monday, adding that the pilot successfully ejected from the aircraft.

According to a preliminary report, there were no injuries and no damage to civilian infrastructure, he added.

Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said in a video on Facebook that the pilot is alive, "he did everything in his power to ensure that the aircraft crashed in army territory." The ambulance service reported that the pilot was in stable condition and taken to hospital by helicopter.

Mihály Győrfi, the mayor of Szolnok, said at the scene that the fighter jet had taken off from nearby Kecskemét and crashed on the grounds of the Szolnok helicopter squadron.

An investigation into the crash is under way with the minister of defense and the chief of the general staff now on the scene. The defense minister said that the situation was hadled "thanks to the calmness and skills of the pilot and rapid response by the military and firefighters".

Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi stated that the Gripen's black box data would be evaluated later, adding that Swedish experts were likely to participate in the investigation.

He added the jet had carried air-to-air missiles and autocannon ammunition, which could have caused further damage had the firemen not started cooling the wreck almost immediately after the crash.

The crash of the JAS 39 Gripen fighter plane means that the Hungarian military now has 19 of this type of aircraft left.