Image: South African Civil Aviation Authority
A helicopter crash on January 19. 2025, was caused by an unsecured African penguin in a cardboard box, a South African Civil Aviation Authority report revealed this week.
The incident took place moments after takeoff from Bird Island – a protected marine area and critical habitat for Cape gannets, African penguins, and other seabirds near Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape.
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The penguin, being transported from Bird Island to Gqeberha, was held in a cardboard box on a passenger’s lap.
AFP reports that the penguin was being transported from the island reserve to Gqeberha for ‘rehabilitation’.
At about 15 meters altitude, the box slipped from the passenger’s lap, hitting the pilot’s cyclic pitch control lever.
This caused the Robinson R44 Raven II aircraft to roll, striking its rotor blades on the ground and crashing on its right side.
While the helicopter was heavily damaged, thankfully no injuries were reported among the pilot, passengers, or the penguin.
The report faulted the pilot for failing to account for the penguin’s transport in the risk assessment, breaching aviation regulations.
It stressed that the lack of a secure crate created a dangerous situation.
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