Man admits he unlawfully flew drone, causing 2 RSAF aircraft to re-route
A man unlawfully operated a drone in September 2020, causing two Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) aircraft to re-route after an aeroscope at Tengah Airbase detected the device.
There was a risk of a collision and the RSAF also had to impose a 30-minute runway closure.
On Tuesday (April 12), Jason Ng Yok Sen, 43, pleaded guilty to three charges under the Air Navigation Act linked to the drone - an unmanned aircraft (UA). Fourteen other charges will be considered during sentencing.
He bought the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom drone, which weighed about 900g, in late 2018.
He registered the device with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) on Jan 11, 2020.
Before operating the UA outdoors for a recreation purpose at an altitude exceeding 60m above mean sea level, Ng had to obtain a Class 2 Activity Permit. The court heard that he did not do so.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Chong Ee Hsiun said that if Ng had applied for the permit, CAAS would have required him to use the drone in line with safe operating conditions to ensure the safety of persons, aircraft and properties.
These include obtaining clearance from RSAF before operating the drone to ensure that the device's flights do not interfere with the RSAF's operations.
Instead, he went to Taman Jurong Park on two separate occasions in May 2020 and flew the drone until it reached heights of over 100m.
On one occasion that lasted for about 30 minutes, the device covered a distance of around 5.6km in the vicinity of Chia Ping, International and Second Chin Bee roads.
On another occasion, Ng operated the drone for about 20 minutes and it covered a distance of around 1.8km in the vicinity of Second Chin Bee Road. It also entered an airspace within 5km of Tengah Airbase's aerodrome.
Ng was at the park at around 7.40pm on Sept 8 that year when he again launched the drone, which reached an altitude of 134m above mean sea level.
He operated the device for about 20 minutes and it covered a distance of 931m in the vicinity of Corporation Road.
The court heard his actions that evening endangered RSAF personnel and aircraft.
The DPP said: "The altitude and location of the accused's UA meant that it was directly within the flight path of a Tengah Airbase runway. Two (RSAF) aircraft with a total aircrew of four personnel were scheduled to use that runway for landing within the next hour after the drone was detected by the airbase aeroscope.
"There was a risk of collision, which would have threatened both lives and property. The RSAF had to re-route the two affected aircraft away from the said runway, and impose a 30-minute runway closure due to the accused's actions."
On Tuesday, the DPP asked the court to sentence Ng to a fine of between $53,000 and $63,000, adding that unregulated operation of drones, especially within close proximity of aerodromes, poses serious consequences to aircraft safety.
Defence lawyer Azri Imran Tan from IRB Law pleaded for his client to be given a fine of up to $46,000, adding: "It cannot be ignored that there was no actual injury to persons and/or damage to property or aircraft.
"Jason was a mere drone hobbyist, who while having the intention of flying the drone, had no specific aims or malicious intentions of endangering lives or property, let alone endangering aircraft in flight."
Ng will be sentenced on Thursday.
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