Anonymous tour of Balkans by Piper

[Eutychus]

Rather surprised not to have seen this story crop up on here yet: https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/31279-ghost-plane-sold-before-suspicious-flight-to-bulgaria An unidentified [Piper PA-23–250-Aztec] with its transponder and radio turned off flew [from Lithuania through] the airspaces of Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria on June 8, 2022.
The occupants had disappeared from the plane, which landed at a disused airfield, by the time the authorities got there.
This reads like the plot of John Le Carré novel (specifically, The Honourable Schoolboy - the plane was even misidentified as a Beechcraft at first!).
Is this kind of event common? Is it in effect relatively easy to wander around European airspace anonymously in a light aircraft without being bothered?

[Jan Olieslagers]

I suppose the story of one Mathias Rust is known to you? Apart from that madman's episode, I heard stories of smuggling illegal cigarettes by light planes, every now and so often a wreck would be found, sometimes burned out. Cigarettes are less lucrative than cocaine, though, as yet there's no stories of HS125's or Gulfstream I's shot or forced down by the air force, and found abandoned and burned out somewhere in the jungle - the "narcojet" phenomenon is limited to Latin America, at least for now.

[Expatrick]

Rather surprised not to have seen this story crop up on here yet: https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/31279-ghost-plane-sold-before-suspicious-flight-to-bulgaria
The occupants had disappeared from the plane, which landed at a disused airfield, by the time the authorities got there.
This reads like the plot of John Le Carré novel (specifically, The Honourable Schoolboy - the plane was even misidentified as a Beechcraft at first!).
Is this kind of event common? Is it in effect relatively easy to wander around European airspace anonymously in a light aircraft without being bothered?

I suppose it depends on your definition of being bothered! Being bounced by a couple of fast jets would bother me! But this guy obviously wasn't bothered!

[Fl1ingfrog]

Is this kind of event common? Is it in effect relatively easy to wander around European airspace anonymously in a light aircraft without being bothered?

Yes, almost daily

[SWBKCB]

Two other threads:

https://www.pprune.org/spectators-balcony-spotters-corner/647179-rogue-aircraft-transiting-eastern-europe-2022-06-08-a.html

https://www.pprune.org/accidents-close-calls/647178-piper-pa-23-flies-through-four-countries-no-flight-plan-intercepted-lands-bg.html

[Jan Olieslagers]

Being bounced by a couple of fast jets would bother me! Fly an ultralight then - the jets cannot go so slow :)
There are stories however of ultralights intercepted by Belgian Air Force helicopters ;)