Man fined S$7,000 for crashing model aircraft into MGS tennis court
SINGAPORE: A man who crashed a model aircraft into a tennis court at Methodist Girls' School (MGS) was fined S$7,000 (US$5,400) on Tuesday (May 20).
Ng Tchi Mun, 68, had pleaded guilty to operating an unmanned aircraft in a manner likely to endanger property, an offence under the Air Navigation Act. The offence carries a maximum fine of S$100,000 or up to five years' jail, or both.
On Aug 20, 2023, Ng was operating an unmanned aircraft, a Hanger 9 Pulse 125 remote-controlled plane, in an open field along Old Holland Road. He was with a friend who was also flying his own aircraft.
He was nearly 250m away from the sports complex of MGS.
At 10.15am, Ng realised that the wind was picking up strength, prompting him to steer the aircraft back towards the open field. He estimated that the aircraft was about 50m away from the school's sports complex when he attempted to fly it back to him.
Ultimately, the strong wind carried the aircraft towards MGS, which is located in Bukit Timah.
Ng eventually lost control of the aircraft and lost sight of it.
The aircraft crashed into an open-air tennis court at MGS where Mr Oh Boon Kwee, a tennis coach who taught private tennis classes at the school at the time of the offence, was walking.
He was scheduled to conduct a private tennis class at 12pm at the tennis courts located on the third floor of the school's sports complex.
The aircraft landed 4m away from Oh and was shattered upon impact. The tennis court was scratched, with parts of the surface cratered in.
Oh was shocked when the aircraft crashed into the tennis court. He began to shake in fear at the thought that he could have been harmed.
Once he composed himself, Oh called the facilities manager at MGS to report the incident before contacting the police. Ng then arrived at the tennis court to identify himself as the owner of the aircraft.
When presented with the repair quotation of S$410.40 from MGS' contractor, he agreed to pay.
On Dec 1, 2023, MGS began repairs as part of its facilities refurbishment plan. On Jan 1, 2024, Ng made a payment of S$410.40 to the contractor, which was returned to him on Jan 9, 2025.
Investigations showed that Ng knew he was turning the aircraft at too close a distance from MGS for it to be safe.
'I had a discussion with my hobby group friends. We all agreed that we were turning our RC (radio-controlled) planes too close from MGS,' he said.
'Hence, we marked out that before landing, we should turn our RC planes at an area which is at least 150m away from the school. So if there is any loss of control or mishap, the plane will at least crash onto the field or the trees and not into the school.'
The prosecution sought a fine between S$10,000 and S$15,000, highlighting the damage inflicted on the tennis court and the potential risks posed by the crash. The aircraft, weighing 3.7kg, could have caused serious harm, especially given the proximity of residential homes.
According to Deputy Public Prosecutor Ariel Tan, Ng operated the aircraft in a manner that he should have reasonably known could jeopardise the safety and property of others. By flying it near MGS and losing control, he caused it to crash into the tennis court situated at MGS.
Ng has until May 26 to pay the fine.
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