26 March 1991, Singapore Airlines Flight 117 was hijacked by four Pakistani militants, who took all 129 people on board hostage. When the plane landed at Changi Airport, an unknown number of Commandos from the Special Operations Force (SOF) stormed the plane, killed the four hijackers and freed the hostages within five minutes. The Commandos were awarded the Medal of Valour for their achievement. Accidents and controversies The Commandos have won the Singapore Armed Forces' annual Best Combat Unit competition many times since 1969. However, in 2003, 1 CDO BN was barred from the competition after it was found guilty of doctoring score-keeping records and fitness test results. Serious accidents during training are rare and were hardly, or probably never, publicised in the media until 2003, when the Singapore Armed Forces' standards of safety in training came under increased scrutiny following the deaths of some servicemen during training. On 21 August 2003, a Guardsman, Second Sergeant Hu Enhuai, died during a combat survival training course conducted by the Commandos. Four Commandos were charged in court a year later for carrying out the "dunking" procedure deemed inappropriate for training purposes. On 3 September 2003, another Guardsman, Second Sergeant Rajagopal Thirukumaran, died after a run during the selection process for the Ranger Course conducted by the Commando Training Wing. On 15 June 2005, Second Sergeant Ong Jia Hui, a member of the Maritime Counter-Terrorism Group, drowned during training at Changi Naval Base. On 13 July 2005, First Sergeant Shiva s/o Mohan fell from 20 metres above the ground while rappelling from a helicopter and was pronounced dead in hospital about two hours later. On 20 June 2006, Lieutenant Lionel Lin died after encountering difficulties while undergoing training at the swimming pool in Hendon Camp. On 13 March 2010, First Sergeant Woo Teng Hai was accidentally shot by a villager during overseas training in Thailand. He was flown back to Singapore on the same day and was discharged from hospital by the end of that month. Equipment The following is a list of equipment known to be used by the Commandos: See also Special Operations Task Force Special Operations Force Guards Naval Diving Unit United States Army Special Forces References Bibliography 1969 establishments in Singapore Formations of the Singapore Army Special forces of Singapore Commando units and formations