Good news has emerged about the Hungarian fighter pilot who was forced to eject from his Gripen after the aircraft suffered a technical failure during a military exercise near Szolnok. The 51-year-old major has been discharged from hospital and will continue his recovery at home.
Hungarian Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi announced the news on Facebook on Friday, wishing the experienced pilot a full and speedy recovery.
The officer had to undergo surgery after suffering a spinal injury during the ejection from the JAS 39 Gripen. According to the Defence Ministry, his recovery has progressed quickly enough for doctors to allow him to leave the hospital.
Pilot underwent successful spinal surgery
The fighter pilot was taken by helicopter to the Honvéd Hospital in Budapest shortly after the incident, where doctors diagnosed a spinal injury.
He underwent surgery on Tuesday. According to Telex, neurosurgeon György Székely of the North-Pest Central Hospital – Honvéd Hospital previously said that the relatively minor spinal operation offered the pilot the best chance of making a full recovery.
Ejecting from a fighter aircraft is medically dangerous because the procedure involves extremely high acceleration, placing considerable stress on the body, particularly the spine. The pilot’s discharge comes just four days after the accident. Earlier in the week, officials had said he could leave hospital “within days”.
Experienced pilot stayed with aircraft until the last moment
The major is described as a highly experienced and physically fit pilot, with almost 2,000 hours of flight experience and participation in international operations.
The Gripen was taking part in a high-speed interception exercise when the technical failure occurred. The aircraft had taken off from Kecskemét as part of a pair exercise and had already completed an interception before the problems emerged during the second attempt.
A series of warning messages appeared before the aircraft’s instruments went dark. The pilot then decided to eject. Before doing so, however, he reportedly attempted to direct the malfunctioning aircraft towards the grounds of the Szolnok helicopter brigade, helping to keep it away from populated areas.
The aircraft ultimately crashed within the military base rather than in a residential area.
Pilot reportedly eager to return to flying
After the operation, Ruszin-Szendi visited the injured major in hospital. According to earlier reports, the pilot told the minister that he was already looking forward to getting back into a fighter aircraft. The incident is still being investigated, including the precise cause of the technical failure.
The pilot’s decision-making and experience have been credited with helping prevent a potentially much more serious accident. Despite having to abandon the aircraft, he remained in control of the situation until the final stages and ensured the malfunctioning Gripen was directed towards a safe area.
Before his discharge, Hungarian President András Baka, who also serves as commander-in-chief of the Hungarian Defence Forces, visited the pilot in hospital. The 51-year-old major will now continue his rehabilitation at home. Defence Minister Ruszin-Szendi has wished him a full recovery.
