Latest news with #NgTchiMun
New Paper
21-05-2025
- New Paper
Man fined after his remote controlled plane crashed onto school tennis court near coach
A man who lost control of a remote controlled plane before it crashed onto a Methodist Girls' School (MGS) tennis court, mere metres from a coach, was fined $7,000 on May 20. Ng Tchi Mun, 68, pleaded guilty to one count of operating the unmanned aircraft (UA) in a manner which could endanger another person's property. His UA - a Hangar 9 Pulse 125 weighing around 3.7kg - broke into pieces upon impact, leaving part of the tennis court scratched and cratered. Specifications of this plane model found online state that it is 159cm in length, with a wingspan of 193cm. The crash, which happened on Aug 20, 2023, a Sunday morning, took place around 4m from a tennis coach who was preparing for a 12pm private class. Deputy Public Prosecutor Ariel Tan said the coach was "completely taken aback" by the UA crashing onto the tennis court and "began shaking in fear at the thought that he could have been harmed". "After he composed himself, he called the MGS facilities manager to report the incident before lodging a police report." The court heard that Ng was operating the UA from an open field in Old Holland Road around 250m away from the MGS sports complex. There were also residential homes in the vicinity. Ng, a Singaporean, held an unmanned aircraft basic training certificate issued on Jan 31, 2021. DPP Tan said: "At about 10.15am, the accused noticed that the wind was getting stronger, so he decided to steer the UA back towards the open field. "The accused estimated that the UA was about 50m away from the sports complex of MGS when he tried to manoeuvre it back to him. He ultimately failed to do so and the wind propelled the UA towards MGS." Ng then lost control of the UA, which crashed onto one of the tennis courts, located on the third floor of the school's sports complex. The coach was walking across the court when it landed about 4m away. Ng arrived at the scene soon after and identified himself as the owner of the UA. The DPP said: "He (later) agreed to pay the repair cost of $410.40 when presented with the quotation from MGS' contractor." On Dec 1, 2023, MGS proceeded with the repairs under its facilities refurbishment plan, and Ng paid the contractor $410.40 a month later. Without revealing details, the DPP said that the payment was later returned to him on Jan 9, 2025. This was not the first case involving a UA that crashed near people. A company was fined $18,000 in April after a drone it was operating crashed into a building in July 2024 while flying towards One-North Residences near North Buona Vista Road. The device fell to the ground just 1m away from two residents and caught fire. The company was convicted on April 1 of operating a drone in a manner that could endanger lives or property.
CNA
20-05-2025
- CNA
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.
Straits Times
20-05-2025
- Straits Times
Man fined after his remote controlled plane crashed into MGS tennis court near coach
Man fined after his remote controlled plane crashed into MGS tennis court near coach SINGAPORE – A man who lost control of a remote controlled plane before it crashed onto a Methodist Girls' School (MGS) tennis court mere metres from a coach, was fined $7,000 on May 20. Ng Tchi Mun, 68, pleaded guilty to one count of operating the unmanned aircraft (UA) in a manner which could endanger another person's property. His UA – a Hangar 9 Pulse 125 weighing around 3.7kg – broke into pieces upon impact, leaving part of the tennis court scratched and cratered. Specifications of this plane model found online state that it is 159cm in length, with a wingspan of 193 cm. The crash, which happened on a Sunday morning on Aug 20, 2023, took place around 4m from a tennis coach who was preparing for a 12pm private class. Deputy Public Prosecutor Ariel Tan said the coach was 'completely taken aback' by the UA crashing onto the tennis court and 'began shaking in fear at the thought that he could have been harmed'. 'After he composed himself, he called the MGS facilities manager to report the incident before lodging a police report.' The court heard that Ng was operating the UA from an open field in Old Holland Road around 250m away from the MGS sports complex. There were also residential homes in the vicinity. Ng, a Singaporean, held an unmanned aircraft basic training certificate issued on Jan 31, 2021. DPP Tan said: 'At about 10.15am, the accused noticed that the wind was getting stronger, so he decided to steer the UA back towards the open field. 'The accused estimated that the UA was about 50m away from the sports complex of MGS when he tried to manoeuvre it back to him. He ultimately failed to do so and the wind propelled the UA towards MGS.' Ng then lost control of the UA, which crashed onto one of the tennis courts, located on the third floor of the school's sports complex. The coach was walking across the court when it landed about 4m away. Ng arrived at the scene soon after and identified himself as the owner of the UA. The DPP said: 'He (later) agreed to pay the repair cost of $410.40 when presented with the quotation from MGS's contractor.' On Dec 1, 2023, MGS proceeded with the repairs under its facilities refurbishment plan, and Ng paid the contractor $410.40 a month later. Without revealing details, the DPP said that the payment was later returned to him on Jan 9, 2025. This was not the first case involving a UA that crashed near people in the vicinity. A company was earlier fined $18,000 after a drone it was operating crashed into a building in July 2024 while flying towards One-North Residences near North Buona Vista Road. The device fell to the ground just 1m away from two residents and caught fire. The company was convicted on April 1 of operating a drone in a manner that could endanger lives or property. Shaffiq Alkhatib is The Straits Times' court correspondent, covering mainly criminal cases heard at the State Courts. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
