Hungary Uncovers WWII Fighter Crash and Pilot’s Belongings After 80 Years

WHO:

Yahoo - The Hungarian Aircraft Wreck Research Association’s co-founder István Kocsis led the team that located the aircraft.

Yahoo - The missing aircraft was a Soviet Yakovlev Yak-1 fighter flown by Guards Lieutenant Alexander Semyonovich Andrianov.

Yahoo - German Lieutenant Peter Düttmann shot down Andrianov’s plane; the article describes Düttmann as a Nazi pilot known for his dogfighting abilities.

Yahoo - A member of the Hungarian Defense Forces discussed the discovery at a press conference.

CBS News World - Officials said remains of a downed Soviet World War II fighter plane had been uncovered in Hungary.

WHAT:

Yahoo - Historians located the wreck after nearly 82 years; recoverable remains included aircraft fabric covering, an engine serial number, construction identification, and the pilot’s personal belongings.

Yahoo - Researchers recovered part of a book signed by Andrianov.

Yahoo - The Defense Forces member said, “Discoveries of this aircraft type on such a significant scale are extremely rare.”

Yahoo - Restoration experts said they were confident they could reconstruct many of the Yak-1’s parts. Preserved and documented sections are to be displayed at Budapest’s Military History Museum; the remaining pieces are to be archived.

Yahoo - Andrianov ejected by parachute and was taken prisoner of war. His fate is unclear; historians estimate roughly half of Soviet servicemen captured by German forces died in captivity.

WHERE:

CBS News World - The wreck was uncovered in a remote Hungarian town.

Yahoo - The wreck was buried more than 17 feet underground, about 50 miles southeast of Budapest, near Törtel.

Yahoo - The plane was to be displayed at Budapest’s Military History Museum.

WHEN:

Yahoo - The aircraft was shot down in November 1944.

Yahoo - The team’s investigation lasted several months.

WHY:

Yahoo - The aircraft sank into loose soil after the crash scattered its wreckage; no one claimed it.

HOW:

Yahoo - The investigation involved archival research and interviews with eyewitnesses.

Yahoo - Military archaeologists used “block lifting”: heavy machinery removed large chunks of earth, which researchers cleared layer by layer to identify and preserve wreckage.

Yahoo - The engine serial number and construction identification matched Andrianov’s Yak-1.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 16:21 UTC)

Historians in Hungary have uncovered a Soviet World War II fighter plane that lay buried for nearly 82 years, more than 17 feet underground near Törtel, about 50 miles southeast of Budapest. The Hungarian Aircraft Wreck Research Association’s co-founder, István Kocsis, led the team, which combined archival research and eyewitness interviews with careful excavation. Heavy machinery lifted blocks of earth, allowing military archaeologists to clear the soil layer by layer. An engine serial number and construction markings identified the wreck as a Yak-1 flown by Guards Lieutenant Alexander Semyonovich Andrianov. German Lieutenant Peter Düttmann shot down the aircraft in November 1944. Andrianov parachuted out and became a prisoner of war, but his later fate remains unclear. Researchers recovered aircraft fabric, personal belongings and part of a book bearing his signature.