AN Australian pilot whose intrusion into Singapore airspace caused fighter jets to scramble and brought commercial air traffic to a halt was today fined 5000 Singapore dollars ($3970).
Rhys Henry Thomas, 59, of Broome in Western Australia, pleaded guilty yesterday to flying a Cessna float plane without an airworthiness certificate, newspapers reported.
Judge Danielle Yeow ordered the former Ansett pilot to pay the maximum fine, but Thomas escaped a possible jail term of up to one year.
Singapore scrambled two F-16 fighter jets on January 22 to intercept Thomas` Cessna, which defence officials said did not have an approved flight plan.
His lawyer, Salem Ibrahim, told the court that Thomas had noticed a problem with the plane`s landing gear after he took off from the Thai resort island of Koh Samui.
He decided to fly on and burn off the plane`s dangerous fuel load before attempting a landing at Singapore`s secondary Seletar Airport, which he chose partly because of its maintenance facilities, Mr Salem said.
But Singapore airforce fighters intercepted him and forced the small plane down at the main Changi Airport.
The incident caused the shutdown of commercial air space over the busy airport for 50 minutes.
At least 16 aircraft were forced to circle, delaying arrivals and departures, and costing airlines thousands of dollars in fuel.
"I am pleased that the ordeal is finally over. The only thing I want to do now is to catch the next flight out of Singapore to go back to Australia to see my mother," Thomas said.
The Straits Times earlier reported that the pilot`s mother had suffered a heart attack in February.
Thomas is co-owner of the Broome-based Horizontal Falls Travel Adventure company, which offers tourists air and sea tours of the remote waterfalls and gorges along the rugged Kimberley coast.
A passenger travelling with Thomas, also said to be an Australian man, was not charged over the incident.
Share this article
