Mathias Rust, a West German Teenager Who Landed His Cessna in Moscow’s Red Square in 1987 ~ Vintage Everyday

On May 28, 1987, 19-year-old West German amateur pilot Mathias Rust flew a Cessna 172 from Helsinki, Finland, and landed on a bridge near Red Square in Moscow. He bypassed Soviet air defenses, landing in the heart of the Soviet capital to deliver a message of peace, and was subsequently arrested. The incident was a massive embarrassment for the Soviet military and led to the dismissal of hundreds of officers, including the Minister of Defense.

West German teenager Mathias Rust standing next to his Cessna 172 airplane after landing in Red Square, Moscow, Soviet Union, on May 28, 1987.

Rust, with only about 50 hours of flying experience, flew his small plane from Helsinki, navigating through a massive gap in Soviet air defenses. His flight path was tracked, but military officials did not authorize an attack, fearing a potential incident with a civilian aircraft or a potential public relations disaster.

He landed on the Bolshoy Bridge, next to Red Square, rather than on the square itself because it was too crowded. He then taxied his plane to a stop on the square.

Rust stated his mission was to build an “imaginary bridge” for peace between East and West and to deliver a message to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The stunt was inspired by the failed Reykjavik disarmament summit in 1986.

“I got my private pilot’s license in autumn 1986,” Rust told The Guardian. “I was 19 and very political. I was interested in relations between East and West, particularly the Reykjavik meeting between Gorbachev and Reagan. I realized that the aircraft was the key to peace. I could use it to build an imaginary bridge between East and West. I didn't tell anybody about my plan because I was convinced my family or friends would stop me. I didn’t think much about what would happen afterwards. My main focus was on my mission to get there and land. I believed that something would work out.”

“My plan was to land in Red Square, but there were too many people and I thought I’d cause casualties,” he added. “I had thought about landing in the Kremlin, but there wasn’t enough space. I wanted to choose somewhere public, because I was scared of the KGB. I approached Red Square three times, trying to find somewhere to land, before discovering a wide bridge nearby. I landed there and taxied into Red Square. As it turned out, the day I chose – May 28 – was the holiday of the border patrol. I suspect that’s how I got away with it.”

Rust was arrested, and the Soviet Union’s Supreme Court sentenced him to four years in a labor camp for violating border crossing and air traffic regulations. He served 14 months before being released and returned to West Germany.

“My landing caused plenty of confusion,” he said. “People came up and surrounded the plane and soon the police arrived to take me away. The defense and air defense ministers were both replaced and more than 2,000 officers lost their jobs. I was sentenced to four years in a labour camp, but spent my time in the interrogation prison because the KGB couldn't guarantee my safety.”

The incident exposed significant weaknesses in the Soviet air defense system, leading to the dismissal of numerous high-ranking military officials.

Mathias Rust next to the plane in the aero club, 1985-1986.

Rust’s rented Reims Cessna F172P (serial #F17202087), registered D-ECJB, was sold to Japan where it was exhibited for several years. In 2008 it was returned to Germany and was placed in the German Museum of Technology in Berlin.

Because Rust’s flight seemed harmful to the authority of the Soviet regime, it was the source of numerous jokes and legends. For a while after the incident, Red Square was referred to jokingly by some Muscovites as Sheremetyevo-3 (Sheremetyevo-1 and -2 being the two terminals at Moscow’s international airport). At the end of 1987, the police radio code used by law enforcement officers in Moscow was allegedly updated to include a code for an aircraft landing.