Vasile Maluțan (May 1995) was a Romanian aviation colonel and the personal pilot of Nicolae Ceaușescu.
Vasile Maluțan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1941-1942[a][1] |
| Died | May 26, 1995 |
| Nationality | Romanian |
| Occupation | Aviation Colonel |
| Known for | Personal pilot of Nicolae Ceaușescu |
On 22 December 1989, he piloted the helicopter that Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu used to unsuccessfully flee the headquarters of the Central Committee during the Romanian Revolution. He claimed to have run out of fuel and landed near Târgoviște, where the couple was eventually captured, and later tried and executed.
Maluța died on May 26, 1995, in a helicopter crash while conducting crop-dusting operations near Fundulea, Călărași County. The helicopter's tail got entangled in high-tension wires, leading to the crash.[2] His death occurred shortly after he had testified before a parliamentary commission about the events of December 1989, raising various speculations and conspiracy theories about the circumstances of his accident.[3][4]
References
editNotes
edit- ^ Vasile Maluțan was 53 years old at the time of his death in May 1995, which implies he was born around 1941-1942.
Sources
edit- ^ "Pilotul lui Ceaușescu a murit într-un accident de elicopter". Evenimentul Zilei. August 3, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
- ^ "Pilotul lui Ceaușescu a murit într-un accident de elicopter". Evenimentul Zilei. 2 August 2017. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
- ^ "Pilotul cu care a fugit Ceaușescu era din Bistrita-Nasaud". Gazeta de Bistrita. 28 February 2010. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
- ^ "Former Ceausescu pilot dies in aircrash". UPI. Retrieved 2024-05-20.