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SINGAPORE: Two Singaporean pilots flying a small plane made an emergency landing on a highway in Johor on Sunday morning (November 22).
The pilots were heading to Melaka from Seletar Airport in Singapore when they encountered technical problems, Captain Chester Voo, executive director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) said in a press release.
The plane made an emergency landing on the highway. (Photo: Kulai Police)
The pilots were reported to be in “stable condition” and the aircraft has moved to a position that does not obstruct traffic on the highway, he added.
Captain Voo said that the Johor air traffic control tower received a call around 10:40 am from the pilot asking permission for a return landing at Senai International Airport due to technical problems.
The Beechcraft Model 35 Bonanza aircraft later landed on the south side of the North-South Highway (PLUS) near Sedenak.
The pilots were heading to Melaka from Seletar Airport. (Photo: Kulai Police)
A search and rescue team deployed to the area has “completed all necessary tasks,” Voo said.
An official statement from the Johor police identified the two Singapore pilots as Dr. Yang Kuang Ying and Mr. Saleehullah Abdul Majid.
The police statement said the pilots heard a sound from the plane’s engine around 11.05 a.m. when they were at an altitude of 5,000 feet.
“The pilots tried to change the gas tank, but the plane’s engine was no longer working. The gas gauge dropped rapidly,” the statement said.
The pilots then made the decision to make an emergency landing at the 47.8km mark of the highway heading south, the statement added.
“The incident did not result in any injury and no damage to public property was reported,” added Johor police.
A video on Facebook showed the plane on the side of the highway. (Photo: Facebook / DAP Gelang Patah)
Kulai Police Chief Superintendent Tok Beng Yeow told local media Sunday afternoon that Dr. Yang and Mr. Saleehullah were on a routine flight to measure flight hours. They were traveling from Seletar Airport in Singapore to Batu Berendam Airport in Melaka.
He added that the pair had completed the first round and made the emergency landing at the scene of the incident while they were in their second round flying to Singapore.
“According to the investigations, the pilots had permission and did not require additional documents to cross state lines to make the flight according to flight hours,” said Superintendent Tok.
“They were not apprentices. The pilots are professionals and have 12 years of experience, with 480 timed flight hours,” he added.
An investigation will be carried out by the Air Accident Investigation Office of the Malaysian Ministry of Transport.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article said that pilots were heading to Melaka from Senai, citing information from the Malaysian Civil Aviation Authority. This has been updated based on a clarification to CAAM’s press release.
