July 1989? Polish MiG-23 airborne on a training sortie. Pilot didn't like something and decided on a Martinski Bakerski recovery. MiG decided it preferred life without a pilot and happily motored west for some considerable time.

Now this of course was in the days of proper QRA, so I think the Germans had the first go. Hopsten F4s? Lots of dicussion about ROE etc, but net result was the MiG got away from the Luftwaffe. Wildenrath next? Not sure whether they actually got airborne, but I am sure there is someone out there who was at Wilders at the time.

As I remember, things got a bit panicky after that and I think the Belgians and Dutch got airborne in a hurry and had a go. Finally the Americans joined in, I think with a couple of F-15s from Soesterburg.

Sadly the Flogger crashed on a house near Kortrijk when it ran out of fuel and killed a teenager who was inside.

Never did find out whether anyone actually fired at the MiG to bring it down. I know there was lots of dicussion about the risk of bringing it down in a populated area, but no idea whether anyone was authorized to engage.

Pilotless Soviet Jet Crosses Europe Before Crashing - New York Times

is the story for the above.

I was always of the opinion that the shooting down of the jag in 82 was in retaliation for us destroying Wildenrath's Officers Mess piano (78/9?), which had mysteriously found its way onto the range one friday afternoon.

Bit of an OTT reaction from a bad loser.:=