The mystery of the (Piper) Aztec? (LY-LOO)

TomcatViP

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In an incredible journey, 3 months after the onset of a new major military phase in the Ukrainian conflict that led the majority of NATO members to strengthen their defenses and augment their readiness with supplementary aircraft and patrols, a lone Piper Aztec, a civilian General Aviation aircraft, taking off from Lithuania in northern Europe flew down the entire eastern NATO flank down to Bulgaria and the Black sea shores without flight plans, border crossing authorization and with its transponder shut down while, incredibly, being chased by Gripen and F-16 from the Hungarian, US and Romanian air forces, forcing its way into airport to land and refuel from onboard reserve transferred into its tanks before landing on a deserted former airbase in Bulgaria and its occupant vanishing.

Here is the story:,

And on a more exhaustive account found in the French press:

Notice how none of the rotarywing assets were brought-in for the interception, assets that can, more appropriately, exercise coercive measure in the form of a well placed, non-lethal sniper shot than what can do a 30 or 20mm high rate fire Canon salvo from a fighter aircraft.

How this could have happened and for what purpose? This is a major event reminiscent of Mathias Rurst exploit that landed on the Red Square in Moscow during the Cold war and, I am sure, worth a deep down, detailed, account.


MysteryAztec_FPSketech1.jpg

1979 Piper Aztec F Performance and Handling Specifications​

Cruise Speed (Kts)
Stall Speed (kts) (Flaps up)​
61​
75% @ 4,000 ft​
177 knots​
Stall Speed (kts) (Flaps down)​
55​
55% @ 10,000 ft​
152 knots​
Service Ceiling (ft)​
19,800​


Registration number: LY-LOO
Serial Nbr: 27-2250
Owner history (country): France, Switzerland, Lithuania

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The War zone take on the story:


And two slightly more informed ones:


Piper-Aztec-hypothetical-track.jpg




And Hungarian press report on the story with point of passage and time of entry and exit of their territory (with a one hour hiatus resulting in giving Eastern European time (EET for entry and Romanian time (EET+1 for exit) :

 
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Notice that the destination airfield is close to Constenta where French president Macron would land 5 days later to visit the French army contingent stationed there. Given the presumed takeoff airfield, the necessity for the crew to have carried their own extra fuel onboard, hence the relative nimbler cargo load left available, it wouldn't be irrational for that flight to have presumably carried a courier... Or worst! But let's Robert Ludlum takes the story over from there!
 
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A bit of update with an investigation opened in Bulgaria and some more details from the Hungarian press:

 
A bit of contextual info. Please Admin, do not judge that as a political post. In 10 years, when we will start to have a better picture of the event discussed in this thread, bits like that could be helpful.

It's not every days that an Eastern European nation expulses 70 Russian diplomats.

 
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It's nearly two months that those incredible events happened... Yet, there isn't any single update posted in the press from journalists, usually well inclined to investigate military espionage or breathtaking criminal actions that I can find.

Where are those intrepid journalists gone now?! C'mon guys, it's summer holidays and there isn't a single vacationer that wouldn't be entertained by the whereabouts of those mysterious reckless pilots and the story behind...
 
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