# 20 years ago...Cessna lands on red square!



## delcyros (May 29, 2007)

It´s not that late but here it goes.

This is no fictional story! It´s histroy .During the height of the cold war, on the 28th of May 1987 this strange event happened:

The west german Matthias Rust from Wedel near Hamburg, an only 19 years old hobby pilot takes a Cessna 172 for a breathtaking illegal flight to Moscow.
Rust took off in Uetersen near Hamburg and flew at first to Iceland, then via Norway to Finland, where he landed at Helsinki airport Malmi on 25th of May 1987. From here he flew on 28th to Moscow. Soviet air defense quickly detected and identified the intruder as Cessna 172 and two MiG-23 interceptor took off to intercept Rust but flew parallel to his Cessna as TV takes show. No decision was made regarding the Cessna 172 and after 5 1/2 hours, Rust circled his sportplane over the red square and Kreml in Moscow at 18:15. At 18:40 he landed on a Moskwa bridge and taxied to the Basilius Kathedral. Rust exited the Cessna and spent Haribo´s to the surprised people.
He was sentenced to four years in a Soviet labour camp and served 432 days but he was allowed to return to Hamburg in 1988.

Sergej Sokolow, defense ministre and Alexandre Koldunow CinC of the soviet air defense and some further officers had to be relieved following this event by Michail Gorbatschov. This may be a political move of Gorbatshov to expell political adversaries.


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## FLYBOYJ (May 29, 2007)

I remember that.....


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## v2 (May 29, 2007)

Yes, I remember that day... it was magnificent.


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