Construction firm fined for operating drone without permit in unprecedented case
SINGAPORE — A company has become the first entity in Singapore to be convicted of operating a drone without a permit.
The Singapore branch of construction company LT Sambo was fined $9,000 on Monday (8 July) for using the drone illegally while conducting works for an MRT development project along Marine Parade Road.
A representative of Sambo, Goh Leong Kiat, pleaded guilty on behalf of the company to one charge of operating a small unmanned aircraft outdoors without a Class 1 activity permit on 17 November 2017.
Sambo was engaged to carry out underground foundation works for the MRT project in 2017.
The company had successfully applied for a drone operator permit but failed to obtain the drone’s activity permit even though it had applied for it.
The firm’s quantity surveyor applied to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) on 27 September 2017 for an activity permit to capture aerial footage of the Marine Parade area for Sambo’s construction plans. It also submitted its proposed flight plan on the same day.
The next day, the CAAS requested for more comprehensive risk mitigating measures from Sambo as the flight area covered had a high concentration of humans and vehicles. As Sambo did not provide the necessary plans, CAAS did not issue an activity permit to the firm.
However, Sambo went ahead with the drone activity. On 17 November 2017, the firm flew the drone, a DJI Phantom 4 drone weighing 1.38kg, over Marine Parade Road twice. The drone was in the air for about 20 minutes on each flight and at times reached a maximum height equivalent to the fourth storey of nearby HDB flats. It flew over a 2km stretch of the road.
The drone was on its third flight when police officers arrived at the scene.
Sambo knew it needed activity permit: DPP
Sambo had not met the CAAS’ request, hence it did not have its application reviewed, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Yanying.
She sought a $10,000 fine for Sambo, saying that deterrence was needed to prevent like minded offenders from committing the same offence.
While no actual harm was caused, the potential harm was worrying, said the DPP.
“In the event the drone fell to the ground in mid-flight, it would have reached the ground in a mere 1.51 seconds, at a velocity of 53.34 kmh,” said DPP Tan.
She added that the drone had flown over a six-lane road and had posed a risk to the traffic there.
The company’s lawyer Wong Tjen Wee said it was not a case where Sambo had tried to deceive the authorities. The firm was aware of the requirement for two permits, said the lawyer.
The company had taken safety precautions and that it “never tried to shirk its responsibilities”.
Wong also said that the company has not flown any drones since being under investigation. However, DPP Tan pointed out the defence said in its mitigation plea that the company has engaged a third party to conduct drone operations since August last year.
District Judge Luke Tan noted that the high traffic in the area imposed additional danger and agreed with the prosecution for the need for deterrence.
For operating a small unmanned aircraft without a permit, Sambo could have been fined up to $20,000 on a first conviction.
Other recent drone activity
The conviction comes amid the spotlight on recent illegal drone activities near strategically sensitive areas.
Last Friday, two men were charged with operating drones without a permit near Paya Lebar Air Base, in an unprecedented case of individuals being hauled to court for drone activity.
The men were operating the drones at an open field near block 128C Punggol Field Walk without a valid Class 2 Activity Permit last Wednesday. The area was within 5 kilometres of Paya Lebar Air Base.
On 18 and 19 June, unauthorised drone flying in the vicinity of Changi Airport caused the delay of 37 scheduled flights and the suspension of one runway. The operations of the affected runway were suspended between 11pm on 18 June and 9am on 19 June for short periods of time while the airport continued to operate with one runway.
In the second such incident in less than a week, unauthorised drone flying and bad weather caused the delay of 18 scheduled flights and seven flights to be diverted at the airport on 24 June.
Related stories:
Construction company charged for operating drone without a licence
2 Singaporean men charged with flying drones near Paya Lebar Air Base
