French administrative error behind forced landing of Swiss minister – صحيفة الصوت

On 5 July 2022, Alain Berset, Switzerland’s interior minister, took to the skies piloting a Cessna 182, a small 4-seat light aircraft. At 4:23 pm he entered a no fly zone close to a French military base, triggering the intervention of two French military jets. It was initially suggested that Berset had ignored instructions to alter course. However, it now seems there was a miscommunication, reported RTS.

After his light aircraft was spotted entering a no-fly zone near the Avord military aerodrome, French flight security made three calls to an aircraft registered as HB-TOR thinking it was Berset’s plane. However, the minister was flying an aircraft registered as HB-TDR and therefore never responded, according to the newspaper SonntagsZeitung.

Eventually, two French fighter jets forced Berset, who was flying solo, to land. After checking his identity he was allowed to continue his flight.

More on this:
RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now

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