2006 Slovak Air Force Antonov An - 24 crash On 19 January 2006 an Antonov An - 24 aircraft operated by the Slovak Air Force crashed in northern Hungary , near the village of Hejce and town of Telkibánya . The airplane was carrying Slovak peacekeepers from Kosovo . Of the 43 people on board , there was only one survivor . The crash remains the deadliest in Slovak history . Background . The airplane involved in the crash was an Antonov An - 24V , the 50 - seat version of the Antonov An - 24 , a twin turboprop transport aircraft . The aircraft was manufactured on 31 October 1969 in the Soviet Union with the serial number 97305605 . The airplane was carrying Slovak peacekeepers who had finished a six - month tour of duty in NATO ’ s KFOR mission in Kosovo . The airplane was flying from Pristina International Airport in Pristina , Serbia and Montenegro to Košice International Airport in Košice , Slovakia . Crash . At around 19 : 38 CET ( 18 : 38 GMT ) , the aircraft disappeared from air traffic controllers ’ radar screens . The aircraft crashed in snowy and forested terrain on Borsó Hill at an elevation of 700 meters ( 2 , 300 feet ) near the Hungarian village of Hejce and the town of Telkibánya . The crash site is about from Košice and about from the Slovak border . According to the Hungarian Disaster Management Agency , the plane hit the tops of trees before catching fire and crashing . Tibor Dobson , of the disaster prevention unit of Hungarian Ministry of the Interior , was quoted as saying that bodies and wreckage were scattered over a large area , and Hungarian police spokesman László Garamvölgyi was quoted as saying that it was −18 °C ( −0 . 4 °F ) at the crash site and that the fuselage was completely burnt out . Emergency response . Emergency workers who arrived at the scene were tasked not only with looking for survivors , but also with putting out the fire at the crash site . Hungarian authorities reported that the heavily wooded and steep terrain , as well as the low temperatures , contributed to the destruction and hampered rescue efforts . It was also reported that helicopters were unable to land at the crash site . Access was also made difficult because the road leading to the site was covered in snow . Michaela Farkasova , the wife of a passenger , reported that she received a cellular telephone call from her husband , Martin Farkaš . She said that she received the call around 19 : 30 EET ( 18 : 30 GMT ) . She is quoted as saying that her husband told her that his plane had crashed in a forest . Shortly before the line went dead , he asked her to alert rescue services and the police . Sole survivor . The sole survivor of the crash was Slovak Army First Lieutenant Martin Farkaš . He suffered minor brain swelling and lung injuries after the crash before being transported to Košice to seek medical attention . He was put into a medically induced coma , but he was soon reported to be in a stable condition . According to rescuers , his survival was pure luck as he was found in the aircraft ’ s lavatory , which received little damage . Reactions and aftermath . United States Ambassador to Slovakia Rodolphe Vallee released a statement on 30 January expressing his condolences to the families and friends of the victims , to the Slovak Armed Forces , and to the Slovak Republic . Secretary General of NATO Jaap de Hoop Scheffer issued a statement hours after the incident in which he expressed his condolences . Memorials . Immediately after the crash , flags were lowered to half - staff and sirens sounded as a tribute to the victims . On 30 March 2006 , the United States Army Major General R . Martin Umbarger , Commanding General for the Indiana Army National Guard , presented a memorial to Slovak Army Major General Peter Gajdoš at a ceremony at the Slovak Ministry of Defense building in Bratislava . On 27 March the memorial travelled to Prešov and on 29 March to Trebišov before returning to Bratislava . On 18 September 2006 , the government of Slovakia allocated 1 . 5 million koruna from its reserve fund to build a memorial in the Hungarian village of Hejce , near the crash site . The Defence Ministry of Slovakia was able to raised 1 . 496 million koruna through fundraising . The Slovak Cabinet committed to match public donations and earmarked 1 . 5 million koruna . The memorial cost around 4 . 5 million koruna . On 19 January 2007 , the first anniversary of the crash was commemorated by the victims ’ loved ones , Martin Farkaš and his wife , and the Slovak and Hungarian militaries . Among those attending was Slovak Defence Minister František Kašický , Slovak Army Chief of Staff Ľubomír Bulík , Hungarian Defence State Secretary József Bali , and Hungarian Deputy Army Chief of Staff János Mikita . The attendees laid wreaths and flowers and lit candles at the crash site . Also in the ceremony , Slovak and Hungarian clergy blessed the cornerstone of a monument to the victims that will be near a local church in the Hungarian village of Hejce . Investigation . According to Tibor Dobson of the disaster prevention unit of Hungarian Ministry of the Interior , the aircraft had strayed off the flight path outlined in the flight plan after Slovak air traffic controllers had taken over the flight from Hungarian controllers . The investigation indicates that the pilot descended too early in the dark towards the lights of Košice .