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SINGAPORE : The Australian pilot of a Cessna plane has pleaded guilty to entering Singapore's airspace, "without a valid certificate of airworthiness".
59-year-old Rhys Henry Thomas was test flying the plane he bought in Koh Samui, Thailand.
He entered Singapore's airspace on 22 January this year and caused two Air Force fighter jets to intercept his plane, which was eventually escorted to Changi Airport.
The incident delayed flights for about an hour, due to security fears.
In mitigation, Thomas' lawyer said his client decided to fly to Seletar Airport due to landing-gear problems, after taking off from Koh Samui for the test flight.
But the prosecution had argued that the pilot could have landed at other near-by airports.
However, the defence told the court that the pilot believed Singapore has better medical and other infrastructure. He also allegedly wanted to use up some of the five hours worth of fuel in the plane, in case his aircraft had a crash-landing.
The defence also blamed the Australian authorities for allegedly giving conflicting advice to Thomas on whether he required a certificate of airworthiness.
If found guilty, Thomas can be fined up to S$5,000 or face a jail term of a year, or both.
The pilot's lawyer also said that it was a situation of circumstances where the pilot had to make a quick and professional judgement based on many factors.
Sentencing will take place on 1 April. - CNA/ms
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