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Jason Ng Yok Sen, 43, illegally flew his drone into the flight path of two Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) aircraft during their scheduled landing time at Tengah Airbase in September 2020.

The RSAF responded by closing the affected runway for 30 minutes to avoid a potential collision.

The drone also endangered the lives of four RSAF personnel within the two aircraft.

Ng pleaded guilty on April 12 to three charges under the Air Navigation Act, while 14 other charges are being considered for his sentencing, the Straits Times (ST) reported.

He operated a DJI Mavic 2 Zoom —  a drone weighing almost 900g which he bought in late 2018 — at Taman Jurong Park during the time of the incident.

Detected by aeroscope

The drone was operated for 22 minutes and covered about 930 metres around Corporation Road, according to CNA.

Its flight activity was detected by Tengah Air Base's aeroscope — a drone detection device — at 7:45 pm which recorded the drone's maximum altitude at 134 metres above sea level.

The recorded data also meant that Ng's drone is precisely within the flight path of the Tengah Air Base runway, according to Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Chong Ee Hsiun. Chong elaborated that two aircraft with a total crew of four personnel were scheduled to use the runway "within the next hour".

"There was a risk of collision, which would have threatened both lives and property," said Chong.

The RSAF also had to re-route the two affected aircraft away from the said runway and impose a 30-minute runway closure, he added.

No permit

According to ST, Ng has failed to obtain a Class 2 Activity Permit despite the drone being registered with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) on January 11, 2020. If he did, the CAAS would have instructed him on the list of conditions for him to fly the drone in a safe manner.

This includes obtaining the relevant clearance from the RSAF before operating the drone.

The clearance serves to avoid potential interference with RSAF's activities.

Not his first time

Ng flew his drone several times over the course of the year, between May 17 and Oct 3, 2020.  CNA mentioned there were 12 occasions where the drone flew to an altitude exceeding 60 metres around Chia Ping Road, Chin Bee Road, Joo Yee Road, Yang Ho Road and Corporation Road.

Ng operated the drone above a height of 100 metres at Taman Jurong Park on two different occasions in May 2020.

The drone flew within the surroundings of  Chia Ping Road for over 30 minutes and covered around 5.6km on one occasion. On another occasion, he operated the unmanned aircraft and was 5 kilometres away from Tengah Air Base's aerodrome.

CNA reported that the drone was close to buildings and was over people and vehicles. It was flown at a distance of over 700 metres, meaning that it was not in his direct line of sight at all times.

The DPP asked for Ng to be fined between S$53,000 and S$63,000 for his offences.

According to ST, Ng will be sentenced on Thursday (April 14).

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Top photo by Florian Schmucker