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.

[3] The airplane was carrying Slovak peacekeepers who had finished a six-month tour of duty in NATO's KFOR mission in Kosovo.

[2] The aircraft crashed in snowy and forested terrain on Borsó Hill at an elevation of 700 meters (2,300 feet) near the Hungarian villages of Hejce and Telkibánya.

Hungarian authorities reported that the heavily wooded and steep terrain, as well as the low temperatures, contributed to the destruction and hampered rescue efforts.

[2] Michaela Farkasova, the wife of the sole surviving passenger, reported that she received a cellular telephone call from her husband, Martin Farkaš.

[6] Secretary General of NATO Jaap de Hoop Scheffer issued a statement hours after the incident in which he expressed his condolences.

[8] 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.

[9] 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.