The taxiway lights leading to the intended runway 05L however were - contrary to international norms - spaced several times further apart and not all of them were working, said Cheong. "Consequently, the crew could see only the taxi lights leading on to 05R."
Taiwan's Yong disputed this point, saying the correct runway was better illuminated with white lights going across the runway and down the center.
"The correct runway was lit up like a Christmas tree," he said.
But both Cheong and Singapore's transportation ministry said that runway 05R had already caused problems for other flights, with two pilots coming forward claiming that they had almost also mistakenly turned into the closed runway due to the poor lighting and markings.
An additional factor highlighted by Cheong was that the flight was cleared for takeoff at the critical moment when it was taxiing towards runway 05R reinforcing the crew's belief that they were turning onto the right runway.
Cheong said the air traffic controllers at CKS had not followed procedure in failing to adequately verify the aircraft's position before issuing the clearance to the aircraft.
Much was made by local media and the report of the crew's failure to check the Para-visual Display -- an instrument that in poor visibility can show whether the aircraft is properly aligned with the correct runway.
However, Cheong stressed that the PVD is an auxiliary instrument, which the crew felt they didn't need to examine after receiving clearance from the tower and mistakenly confirming their location visually with the bright lights leading to runway 05R.
The International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Association (IFALPA) also expressed concern with the Taiwanese report and urged prosecutors not to take any legal action against the pilots.
with Additional reporting by Chang Yu-jung
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