Vasile Maluțan (died on May 26, 1995) was a Romanian aviation colonel and the personal pilot of Romanian dictator

Nicolae Ceaușescu Nicolae Ceaușescu ( ; ; – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian politician who was the second and last Communism, communist leader of Socialist Romania, Romania, serving as the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 u ...

. On 22 December 1989, he piloted (at gunpoint) the

Eurocopter Dauphin The Eurocopter, later Airbus Helicopters AS365 Dauphin, originally known as the Aérospatiale SA 365 Dauphin 2, is a medium-weight multipurpose twin-engine helicopter produced by Airbus Helicopters. It was originally developed and manufactured ...

helicopter that Nicolae and

Elena Ceaușescu Elena Ceaușescu (; born Lenuța Petrescu; 7 January 1916 – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian communist politician who was the wife of Nicolae Ceaușescu, General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party and leader of the Socialist Republic o ...

used to unsuccessfully flee the headquarters of the Central Committee during the

Romanian Revolution The Romanian revolution () was a period of violent Civil disorder, civil unrest in Socialist Republic of Romania, Romania during December 1989 as a part of the revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several countries around the world, primarily ...

. He told Ceaușescu falsely that he had run out of fuel and landed near

Târgoviște Târgoviște (, alternatively spelled ''Tîrgoviște'') is a Municipiu, city and county seat in Dâmbovița County, Romania. It is situated north-west of Bucharest, on the right bank of the Ialomița (river), Ialomița River. Târgoviște was ...

, 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 Fundulea is an agricultural town in Călărași County, Muntenia, Romania. It is on the Bărăgan Plain, approximately east of the capital Bucharest, in the historical region of Wallachia. It has a population of 6,714 (as of 2021). The A2 freeway ...

Călărași County Călărași () is a county (județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in Muntenia, with the county seat at Călărași. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 285,050 and a population density of 56.02/km2. * Romanians – 94.1% ...

. The helicopter's tail got entangled in high-tension wires, leading to the crash. 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.

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:* Link is to

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via the Wikipedia Library :* :* :* :* {{DEFAULTSORT:Malutan, Vasile 1995 deaths Romanian aviators Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1995 Victims of helicopter accidents or incidents 1941 births Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Romania