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KULAI: An engine failure forced two Singaporean pilots in a small plane to make an emergency landing on the North-South Expressway near here.
The 1957 Beechcraft Bonanza F35, owned by one of the pilots, Dr. Yang Kuang Ying, landed safely at kilometer 47.8 south of the highway around 11.15 am yesterday, said Kulai OCPD Supt Tok Beng Yeow.
“The 52-year-old pilot and his co-pilot were about 5,000 feet above the ground when the aircraft’s engine began to fail.
“The oil pressure kept dropping rapidly and that’s when they decided to make an emergency landing on the highway,” he told a news conference at the Kulai district police headquarters.
Supt Tok said that Dr. Yang and co-pilot Saleehullah Abdul Majid, 41, were not injured and the aircraft was not damaged during the landing.
The qualified pilots were on a routine flight to get their flight hours, he added.
“They took off from Seletar airport in Singapore to Melaka airport in Batu Berendam on the morning before the incident.
“The pilots were on their second flight path, back to Singapore, when the incident occurred.
“The investigations found that the pilots had the permission to fly the aircraft to obtain their flight hours and therefore did not need to obtain a travel permit to cross the border (of the country or the state),” he said.
Supt Tok said the pilot is a professional and has logged 480 hours with 12 years of flying experience.
“After the incident, the aircraft was transferred to another area so as not to obstruct traffic and the situation along the highway was under control,” he said, adding that the matter was turned over to the Department of Civil Aviation for further investigation.
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