Same thing happened May 23, 1969, when an AF Sergeant stole a C-130 from RAF Mildenhall trying to get back to the US to see his sick wife. The aircraft crashed in the English Channel but rumors flew around that the AF had shot him down.
You forgot to add he was drunk. Changes the story a little bit.
Early 2000s, I heard on DW’s shortwave broadcast about a guy that stole a general aviation craft, and flew around the Frankfurt airport, rendering it useless, until he ran low on fuel, and “...landed safely, and was taken into custody without incident. He is believed to have emotional issues.”