Light plane lands on highway

KULAI: An engine failure forced two Singaporean pilots on a light aircraft to make an emergency landing on the North-South Expressway near here.

The Beechcraft Bonanza F35 1957, owned by one of the pilots, Dr Yang Kuang Ying, landed safely at the 47.8 kilometre southbound of the expressway at about 11.15am yesterday, said Kulai OCPD Supt Tok Beng Yeow.

“The 52-year-old pilot and his co-pilot were about 5,000 feet above ground when the aircraft’s engine started to malfunction.

“The oil pressure continued to drop rapidly and that’s when they decided to make an emergency landing on the expressway, ” he said at a press conference at the Kulai district police headquarters.

Supt Tok said Dr Yang and co-pilot Saleehullah Abdul Majid, 41, were not injured and the aircraft did not suffer any damage during the landing.

The qualified pilots were on a routine flight to get their flying hours, he added.

“They took off from the Seletar Airport in Singapore to the Melaka Airport in Batu Berendam in the morning prior to the incident.

“The pilots were on their second flight route, headed back towards Singapore, when the incident took place.

“Investigations found that the pilots possessed the permission to fly the aircraft to get their flying hours and therefore did not need to get a travel permit to cross the (country or state) border, ” he said.

Supt Tok said the pilot is a professional and has clocked 480 hours with 12 years of flying experience.

“Following the incident, the aircraft was moved to another area so as not to obstruct traffic and the situation along the expressway was under control, ” he said, adding that the matter has been handed over to the Department of Civil Aviation for further investigation.