Chief of General Staff Tibor Benko: Air force accident probe outcome expected by autumn

Budapest, July 1 (MTI) – The outcome of investigations into the recent military aircraft accidents is expected by the autumn, Chief of General Staff Tibor Benko told parliament’s national security committee on Wednesday.

In May, a Hungarian Gripen overran the runway at Caslav military airbase in the Czech Republic, while in June a highly experienced pilot of a Gripen fighter carried out an emergency landing before ejecting at the Kecskemet airbase. Last week, a Soviet-made Yak-52 training aircraft caught fire and crash landed.

Benko specifically asked for the committee’s session to be open to the press and asked reporters and members of the committee to wait for the results of the investigation to be published so that the Hungarian air force can continue to fulfil its duties without disruption.

Regarding the accident in the Czech Republic, Benko said the investigation is being carried out by Czech, Swedish and Hungarian experts. He said the objective will be to uncover whether the accident was caused by mechanical failure, human error or other factors. The outcome of the probe is expected by October.