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Singapore jets scrambled to intercept small plane
Reuters
SINGAPORE, Jan 23 - Singapore closed its commercial airspace for almost an hour on Tuesday as fighter jets scrambled to intercept a small plane headed towards the city-state without permission, the Civil Aviation Authority said on Wednesday.
The Defence Ministry said two Republic of Singapore Air Force planes took off around 6:45 p.m. local time to intercept a single-engine turboprop Cessna 208 and escort it to land at the Changi Airport.
Police have started an investigation, local media reported.
The closure of commercial airspace for about 50 minutes affected 23 aircraft, disrupting flights in and out of Changi Airport, a Civil Aviation Authority spokeswoman told Reuters.
She said 16 incoming flights and six departing aircraft were delayed for between 15 and 40 minutes each. Another inbound aircraft was diverted to Senai Airport in neighbouring Malaysia, she said.
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RSAF jets scramble to intercept civilian aircraft
Airspace shut down for 50 minutes after plane heads here without approved flight plan
Straits Times, The (Singapore)
Prime News
January 23, 2008
Author: Teh Joo Lin & David Boey
SINGAPORE'S airspace was shut down temporarily last night when two air force F16 jets were scrambled to intercept a civilian plane heading here without an approved flight plan.
The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) fighter jets went into action at 6.42pm, said the Ministry of Defence (Mindef). They intercepted the single-engine turboprop Cessna 208 and escorted it to land at Changi Airport.
The plane 'was heading towards Singapore airspace without an approved flight plan', said Mindef spokesman Darius Lim.
Once the Cessna 208 landed, the police took over investigations.
It is believed the civilian plane, which typically seats nine passengers, was flying in from the Thai resort island of Koh Samui when it triggered Singapore's air defences.
The resulting shutdown of commercial airspace affected 23 aircraft, disrupting flights in and out of Changi Airport.
The shut down lasted for 50 minutes from 7.10pm until 8pm, a Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore spokesman told The Straits Times.
She added that 16 incoming flights and six departing aircraft were delayed for between 15 and 40 minutes each.
One more inbound aircraft was diverted to Senai Airport in Johor. A passenger on the flight was 34-year-old business executive Philip Koh, who was flying in from Brunei.
His flight was due to touch down at Changi Airport at 8pm, but just before its final approach, the pilot informed passengers that the plane could not land because of an 'interception due to unidentified aircraft'.
The plane was diverted to Senai and stayed on the tarmac at the airport for about an hour, said Mr Koh. The plane finally arrived at Changi Airport at about 9.45pm.
Contacted last night, Singapore Airlines said there were short delays to a few departing flights between 7.30pm and 8pm because the airline was waiting for take-off clearances.
This is not the first time the air force has been called into action. In August 2003, two RSAF jets intercepted a Portuguese-registered civilian aircraft that breached Singapore's airspace.
The pilot, whose plane had run into electrical problems, tried to land at Tengah Airbase before two A4 Skyhawks were scrambled alongside it.
Under escort, the Cessna plane later landed safely at Seletar Airport. The 61-year-old pilot was questioned by the police before he was released.
Aviation experts said that following the Sept 11, 2001, attacks, the RSAF operates an enhanced air defence against airborne terrorist threats, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Air forces the world over have been wary of copycat attacks by terrorists commandeering planes as 'guided missiles'.
Colonel Lim said: 'The RSAF continues to maintain a high state of readiness.'
joolin@sph.com.sg
dboey@sph.com.sg
Copyright, 2008, Singapore Press Holdings Limited
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Originally posted by LeftHandSeat:
The RSAF " always " know what they are doing!! ( Clap Clap )..sending aged A4s is the right thing to do,F16s would have been an overkill in this situation.Please read the news again.
The last known intercept by A4 was back in 2003, before its retirement in 2005.
BTW, those last gen A4 aren't "ordinary" Skyhawks.
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Ask RSAF man...I'm just " forumming" like everyone else..only thing is..I 'm not an expert like most of e pple here.Besides im quoting an old incident.
Originally posted by chanjyj:Why use A4s, a ground attack plane rather than an inteceptor or fighter? To me that is stupid.
Edited by LeftHandSeat 24 Jan `08, 3:23PM
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The Electric New Paper :
PRIVATE PLANE INTRUSION: FIGHTER JETS SCRAMBLED
How did pilot get so far?
Private pilots say they can't fly without approved flight plan, so...
WHY would someone fly into Singapore's airspace without filing a flight plan?
By Tan May Ping
25 January 2008
WHY would someone fly into Singapore's airspace without filing a flight plan?
The Tuesday incident, in which a civilian Cessna 208 had to be escorted by fighter jets to land at Changi Airport, had several pilots puzzled.
Recreational pilot Nicklaus D'Cruz, 41, said private pilots need to submit a flight plan before they are allowed to take off.
GREEN LIGHT
Those flying from Thailand to Singapore have to register their plan a week prior to the flight, he said.
And if they are flying from Malaysia to Singapore, they need to do so about 30 minutes before getting on board.
Pilots then need to get clearance to take off.
The control tower gives the green light only if approval has been given by the authorities at the destination, said Mr D'Cruz, who has had his private pilot licence for a year.
He added that pilots indicate their departure time and estimated arrival time on the flight plan.
They also have to calculate the estimated time that they will fly past wavepoints, which could be landmarks such as towns.
'During the flight, we need to report our position every 10 minutes to the nearest control tower,' said Mr D'Cruz, who is the chief executive of golfing company OAAG.
'At any point of time, everyone knows where you are.'
The Cessna 208 is believed to have flown in from Koh Samui, Thailand.
How it did so is still a mystery.
Its intrusion prompted the Republic of Singapore Air Force to scramble two F-16 jets to intercept the aircraft.
The fighter jets eventually escorted the single-engine turboprop aircraft to land at Changi Airport.
The incident, which is being investigated by the police, forced the closure of the airspace for almost an hour, and caused multiple flight delays.
Mr D'Cruz said it was almost impossible that the plane had taken off without a flight plan.
He added: 'It could be that the flight plan somehow got lost in transit, and that the authorities here didn't receive it.'
A commercial pilot with six years' experience said he had not heard of anything like that before.
The 29-year-old, who declined to be named, said: 'Flying without a flight plan is a serious breach of conduct.'
Another commercial pilot said that without a flight plan, the aircraft would also not have been able to pass into Malaysian airspace.
'Otherwise, it's crazy to think that the pilot managed to fly from Thailand to Singapore - travelling through so much airspace - without being stopped earlier,' remarked the pilot of 10 years, who asked not to be named.
The pilots said they were certain the authorities here weren't able to get a response or a satisfactory answer from the pilot before sending the jets up.
Said Mr D'Cruz: 'Sending the fighter jets up there is really the last resort.'
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Copyright © 2005 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. Co. Regn. No. 198402868E. All rights reserved.
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SRC: http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,154424,00.html?Edited by Vigelic 25 Jan `08, 11:15AM
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Originally posted by LeftHandSeat:The RSAF " always " know what they are doing!! ( Clap Clap )..sending aged A4s is the right thing to do,F16s would have been an overkill in this situation.
u make my day! A4s had been decommed! *clap clap clap*
pls lah, know ur stuff before u make such smart alec comments
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Whatever you say & whatever made you happy. I am happy to have made your day.
I don't know which is more pathetic, your arrogance or your English, not that I really give a hoot!
Humbly yours
Originally posted by casshern:u make my day! A4s had been decommed! *clap clap clap*
pls lah, know ur stuff before u make such smart alec comments
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Cool !
Where? 
