South African helicopter crash blamed on penguin in a box
April 11, 2025
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They’re flightless for good reason: A penguin in a cardboard box contributed to the crash of a helicopter in South Africa in January, a recently published government report says.
A passenger on the Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter was holding the box with the bird inside when the box shifted on Jan. 19, South Africa’s Civil Aviation Authority said.
As the helicopter was around 50 feet off the ground, “the cardboard box slid off to the right and on to the pilot’s cyclic pitch control lever,” the report says.
The penguin in a cardboard box. South African Civil Aviation Authority
The aircraft rolled, its rotor blades hit the ground, and the helicopter crashed on its right side, the report said.
“None of the occupants was injured; the penguin was also unharmed,” it said.
The crash happened on Bird Island on a trip to conduct an aerial survey off the country’s southeastern coast.
No reason is given in the report for why the penguin was on board, only that a specialist conducting the survey asked that it be brought back and the pilot agreed.
The helicopter after the crash in Chief Dawid Stuurman Aerodrome in Eastern Cape province in South Africa on Jan. 19.South African Civil Aviation Authority
The aviation authority found that the pilot did not follow proper procedures regarding cargo.
The pilot conducted an inspection but “omitted to state in the risk assessment form the intention to transport the penguin in a cardboard box on-board,” it said.
“The lack of secure containment for the penguin created a dangerous situation,” it said.
The aviation authority stressed in the report that the crash shows the importance of adhering to safety rules.
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