Ghost plane from Lithuania: crew disappeared, flight versions from spy to stupidity

The plane was accompanied by fighter jets

The plane, which took off from Lithuania, flew over several Eastern European countries without permission and attracted the attention of the Air Force, and then an unknown crew was left in Bulgaria.

The plane flew over Hungary, flew briefly to Serbia, then to Romania, and on Wednesday at 7 p.m. 9 min. local (and Lithuanian) time – to Bulgarian airspace.

The twin-engine plane with two people did not have an approved flight plan and its transponders were turned off. The pilot did not respond to radio requests and visual signals.

Two Hungarian Gripen fighters, two US F-16 fighters and two Romanian F-16 fighters took over the offender in succession and accompanied him until he flew into Bulgarian airspace.

The Bulgarian air force did not immediately lift the fighters because “the plane was never considered a threat”.

His ministry said the flight conditions were difficult: a storm with thunderstorms and heavy rain.

According to the news agency BNS, the plane had stopped refueling on the Danube town of Vidin in northwestern Bulgaria.

Portal Rtl.hu to his knowledge, the plane also tried to refuel at the small Hungarian airport in Hajduszoboszlo, but not quite successfully.

The portal says the airport supervisor wanted to talk to two people who had flown illegally, but they allegedly threatened him. Police arrived at the scene when it happened, the plane took off.

At the small airport, the plane spent about twenty minutes, and images from one of the airport’s cameras show that something was going on around the plane: the flyers are thought to be refueling from available canisters.

Investigators will double-check everything again

Bulgarian television channel bTV reports that the investigation has been taken over by the National Investigation Service from local law enforcement. A pre-trial investigation has been launched into this investigation in Bulgaria. Lithuanian police have also launched an investigation, but on Monday 15min reported no posts or comments.

The plane needs to be inspected again – carefully, accurately. Once again, all possible traces will be searched for – biological, dactyloscopic and all other traces.

At the abandoned Buhovtsi aerodrome in the Targovishte region, the plane left to its fate will be re-inspected by a team of experts from the National Investigation Service. In addition to the aircraft itself, the airport runway and adjacent areas will be inspected.

It is believed that the Piper PA-23-250 Aztec aircraft, which arrived from Lithuania, has been guarded at an aerodrome abandoned by the police for five days. It is still unclear what was the reason for the flight, who was the pilot and whether there were passengers on the plane.

A second inspection of the plane, which is guarded at an abandoned airport near the village of Buhovtsi, will begin on Tuesday. A team of researchers and experts is preparing for the inspection, Borislav Sarafov, director of the National Research Service, said in an interview with bTV.

A second check is needed at both the aerodrome and the plane, Sarafov said.

“The plane needs to be inspected again – carefully, accurately. “All possible traces will be searched again – biological, dactyloscopic and all other traces,” he said.

No illegal substances or objects were found during the first inspection of the aircraft. Traces of biological substances were also searched for, fingerprints were taken, but so far nothing was found that could help the investigation.

Until now, the investigation has been carried out under the supervision of the Targovishte District Prosecutor’s Office. Yesterday, the district prosecutor reported that various documents had been found in the cabin, but none of the maps.

According to Sarafov, it is not yet known how many people were on this plane and who they were.

According to Sarafov, the information is going to be exchanged with other countries in order to find out which route the plane was flying from, where it was bought and what it was able to transport.

“This is definitely an airspace violation, whether there was a threat or not – it will be the subject of our investigation,” Sarahov said.

Flight versions

Aviation experts and government officials interviewed by BTV on Friday said one of the versions under investigation was that the aircraft could also carry out a spy mission to check the operation of NATO air defense and surveillance systems. According to them, such a flight could not be accidental, it needed to be well prepared.

Lithuanian experts and politicians also talked about it. Aviation expert Vidas Kaupelis did not rule out a version on Friday that attempts were made to see how the authorities would react to the provocation, although there are cases where aircraft fly off transponders.

“There is room for various such provocations. So far, there is a lack of data to link with this case, the investigation will show, but that such holes need to be prevented is a fact, ”V. Kaupelis told LRT radio.

Chairman of the National Security and Defense Committee of the Seimas Laurynas Kasčiūnas 15min said a committee under his leadership plans to discuss the issue on Wednesday.

“This particular case needs to be investigated, but situations like this can create room for provocation – whether flights are properly monitored, how the system would work if the plane took off with explosives and the like,” the politician said.

However, other versions were later raised. Bulgarian Defense Minister Dragomir Zakov told bTV on Saturday that there was a high probability that the flight, which caused a great stir in Europe, could have been carried out for an insignificant reason.

“I have no information about the purpose of this flight. An investigation is underway. I guess that if you buy a plane, you should fly from Lithuania to Bulgaria. And because in Lithuania the procedures obviously take time before the owner decides to fly to Bulgaria without a permit. Banal version, but there may be something similar. No explosives or drugs were found on the plane. This is probably an insignificant case, “the minister said.

No explosives or drugs were found on the plane. This is probably an insignificant case.

So far, the main version under investigation – the plane was stolen or the people who bought it flew out illegally without obtaining a flight permit, so it flew off the radio and did not respond to other attempts to contact them.

Asked how it could be explained that the plane was left to its fate after landing in Bulgaria and the people who flew it disappeared, the minister replied: “People have realized that they have broken many rules and are currently in hiding.”

When police found the landing plane, both of its engines were still warm.

The Bulgarian defense minister is convinced that the plane did not endanger the country’s security. As proof of his version, Zakov stated that the course of the plane did not pose a threat to civilian or military objects.

According to him, the version that the plane flew over NATO’s eastern flank to check the protection of the airspace of these countries is unfounded.

“I think it would be difficult to do such a test with such a plane. He flew low, at a very low speed. Rather, it is speculation, “Zakov said.

The plane was monitored during the flight

The plane violating the airspace of 7 countries did not slip through them unnoticed – it was observed. However, it was not considered to be a hazard. Krasimir Grozev, a journalist for the specialized website Aero, made such a comment to bTV.

The plane flew low, below heavy civilian traffic – passenger and cargo flights – and avoided major airports, the reporter said.

According to him, such a plane could be shot down if there was information that it contained something very dangerous – terrorists, a bomb, if it was directed at critical infrastructure.

“It simply came to our notice then. “Even if he flies at about 250 km / h. “He can’t do much damage,” Grozev said.

The Lithuanian Armed Forces informed BNS that “the activities carried out by the aircraft were constantly monitored by the Air Force, and communication with other institutions took place”.

However, the army also emphasized that the actions performed by the aircraft in Lithuania were not classified as an airspace violation.

The plane was sold by a well-known Lithuanian aviator

The plane, which took off from Lithuania on Thursday and flew over several countries without permission, belonged to Bronis Zaronskis, a Lithuanian aviator and officer of the Nida Aeroclub Council.

He says he sold the plane but was not interested in anyone. The aviator also said he did not know that people would fly it without an approved flight plan.

Friday with 15min Zaronskis, who interacted with him, once said that he had bought the sold plane for himself, and now he has finally sold it.

“I sold a long time ago, nobody bought it,” he said.

The aviator said he had sold the plane, which was guarded at Panevėžys Aeroclub a few days ago, and that the buyers had been found by friends.

An advertisement and photos of the sold aircraft can still be found on the Internet (link here). The ad was last updated on January 30, the price of the plane is 29 thousand. without value added tax.

B.Zaronskis 15min assured that he did not know the names of the buyers. He said he had sold the plane to some organization. Zaronski told Bulgarian media that he had sold the company to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, and that the plane had been inspected by three Russian-speaking men who he thought could be Ukrainians, Romanians and perhaps Bulgarians.

The flight was unregistered, the plane did not have a flight certificate

The head of Panevėžys Aeroclub Mantas Butkus stated that the fact of departure of the sold aircraft stored in this club is not registered in the flight log. And even if the plane flew out of the aerodrome, the flight was not coordinated. The situation, he said, is under investigation.

Aleksandra Armoškaitė, Head of Communication, Transport Competence Agency 15min stated that the event related to the unauthorized international flight from Lithuania is known to the Agency.

The representative did not comment specifically, but indicated that the plane was still registered in the name of B. Zaronskis.

“The event is known to the Transport Competence Agency. The owner of the aircraft in whose name the aircraft was registered applied for deregistration on 4 June 2022, but the Transport Competence Agency was not informed of the reasons for this.

According to the data of the Civil Aircraft Register of the Republic of Lithuania, the exact model of the aircraft is the Piper PA-23-250 Aztec. The aircraft was built in 1962.

The Periodic Airworthiness Review Certificate (TSPPP) was valid until 21 November 2014. It was not extended later. However, B. Zaronskis, who sold it, assured that the plane was in excellent technical condition.