Bangkok Post
25th Jan 2008
AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK and dpa
The plane from Koh Samui which intruded into Singapore airspace on Tuesday causing a 50-minute shutdown of Changi airport was piloted by an Australian, Civil Aviation Department director general Chaisak Angsuwan said yesterday.
Mr Chaisak said the amphibious plane, a Cessna 208 Caravan 1, was piloted by Australian Rhys Henry Thomas, 48, a former pilot with Australian airline Ansett.
The plane was bought this month by Mary Cummins, who co-owns a tourist adventure flight firm with Mr Thomas. On Tuesday, Mr Thomas filed a flight plan with the air traffic control (ATC) at Koh Samui, saying he would test the plane by flying it around the island.
He took off about 2pm.
At 2.30pm, Mr Thomas radioed that the engine had developed problems.
Six minutes later air traffic control lost contact with the plane, which disappeared from radar. The plane was spotted again at a height of 32,000 feet over the Thai-Malaysian border.
Although air controllers told the pilot the plane was leaving Thai airspace, he continued on his flight path, heading to Singapore without heeding their the ATC's warnings against intruding into Singapore airspace.
Air traffic controllers at Koh Samui reported to ATC in Malaysia about the airspace intrusion and the deputy director-general of the department Wuttichai Singhamas, who was on an official trip to Singapore, cooperated with Singapore officials in the plane's interception.
Mr Chaisak said he had sent a letter to the Australian and Singaporean embassies and the Foreign Ministry explaining the pilot violated Thailand's aviation laws.
According to the Straits Times newspaper, two Australians were aboard the plane, which approached Singapore on Tuesday night without an approved flight plan, prompting two Singapore Air Force F16 fighter jets to scramble during Changi airport's busiest period.
The Singapore Air Force tracked the plane as it flew toward the city state. The two missile-armed fighters intercepted the Caravan and signalled the Australians to land on the central runway at 8pm.
The Australians were escorted away by police, who are now investigating the incident. The shutdown of commercial airspace affected 23 aircraft, disrupting flights in and out of Changi.
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