Police widen probe into air intrusion
Police widen probe into air intrusion
By David Boey
A POLICE investigation into the airspace intrusion that shut down Changi Airport for close to an hour on Jan 22 has turned to how the pilot of the plane got his aircraft.
The Cessna 208 Caravan Amphibian seaplane, said to be worth US$1.2 million (S$1.7 million), has been impounded.
Singapore police are holding on to the passports of the pilot, Mr Rhys Thomas, said to be in his late 50s to early 60s, and his sole passenger, Mr Darren Johnson, said to be a flight engineer in his 40s and both Australians are still “assisting with investigations”.
The Straits Times understands that the police are looking into three suspicious areas.
First, the flight. The plane did not have permission to leave Thai airspace for its flight from Koh Samui airport that day.
It had been cleared only for 50 minute test flight in the vicinity of the airport.
Instead, the pilots went on a 1,000km, six hour trip - without immigration clearance or filing a flight plan, which is required under international aviation rules.
The history of the plane has also thrown up some questions.
Records showed the plane changed owners twice in a few weeks recently.
Ownership was first transferred last December to a Mrs Mali Sadd.
Barely a month later, it was sold to some Australians – supposedly on the cheap – and was registered as belonging to a Ms Mary Cummins.
Ms Cummins and Mr Thomas run a tour agency called Horizontal Falls Adventure Tours in Broome, a coastal resort town in Western Australia.
They also operate a company called Kimberley Seaplanes, which has two other Cessnas of the type that was piloted by Mr Thomas.
Before these transfers, the plane had been owned by Coco Seaplanes, which was in turn owned by Coco International Properties, a company set up to develop beachfront real estate on Koh Samui.
The company was headed by a Mr Alan Sadd – the husband of Mrs Mali Sadd.
As it turns out, Mr Sadd had been in trouble with the authorities in Bangkok for failing to pay 750 000 baht (S$34,000) to a construction firm. He was arrested on Jan 15 as he attempted to leave Koh Samui for Taiwan.
Finally, Mr Thomas background is also being looked into.
It has emerged that Singapore police have contacted an Australian aviator who once flew for him.
The aviator, who declined to be named, told the Straits Times when contacted that he was arrested in the Seychelles while piloting a plane for Mr Thomas that had false registration.
The airspace intrusion on Jan 22 sparked an air defence response, and the episode ended when two missile-armed Republic of Singapore Air Force F16D jets forced the Cessna to land at Changi Airport’s central runway.
The resulting lockdown of Singapore’s airspace triggered by the intrusion affected 17 inbound flights, which were forced into holding patterns. Six departures were delayed.
The two Aussies were questioned immediately upon landing, and it is understood that Mr Thomas initially claimed that he had problems with the landing gear of his seaplane.
He claimed that was the reason for the diversion to Singapore.
But as the investigations progressed, the new details surrounding the flight aroused the police’s suspicious.
A defence source noted that the current probe has gone on longer than the investigation into the last reported airspace intrusion in August 2003.
The source said that probe was “wrapped up within a day” after the authorities learnt that an electrical fault prevented a Portuguese pilot from talking to air traffic controllers.
[email protected]