A helicopter in South Africa crashed after a penguin nudged the controls.
The penguin was inside a cardboard box, which slipped off the lap of a researcher after the helicopter set off from Bird Island, in the Eastern Cape Province, on January 19.
The penguin box hit the aircraft’s pitch lever, causing it to tilt violently to the right before the rotor blades smashed into the ground.
The South African authorities have now released a report stating that the crash was caused by the penguin.
According to the April 8 report, the purpose of the flight was to assist a researcher in conducting a survey.
After completing the survey, the helicopter landed safely on the island, where the researcher requested that a penguin be transported back to the airport.
The pilot of the Robinson R44 Raven II agreed, and the penguin was placed in a cardboard box for the return trip.
Although a risk assessment was carried out before departure, the pilot did not account for the save and stable transport of the penguin.
The penguin was inside a cardboard box, which slipped off the lap of a researcher after the helicopter set off from Bird Island, in the Eastern Cape Province, on January 19
The penguin box hit the aircraft’s pitch lever, causing it to tilt violently to the right before the rotor blades smashed into the ground
The South African authorities have now released a report stating that the crash was caused by the penguin
Instead of securing it in a crate, the penguin was placed in a simple cardboard box that sat in the researcher’s lap.
The South African Civil Aviation Authority said: ‘The passenger seated in the left front seat placed the cardboard box containing the penguin on his lap and secured it with his hands.
‘The pilot reported that before lifting off, he conducted an inspection of the helicopter and no abnormalities were found.’
However, once the pilot started the engine and took off to about 50 feet from the ground, the cardboard box slid off to the right and onto the pilot’s cyclic pitch control lever.
It resulted in a sudden and violent pitch to the right. The aircraft’s rotor blades struck the ground, and the helicopter crashed.
The report said that the helicopter was seriously damaged but luckily none of the people on board were injured. The penguin also survived unharmed.
The 35-year-old male pilot, not named, who obtained his licence in 2021 had over 1,650 hours of flight time, according to the report.
The report recommended that they undergo training on the correct way to follow safety procedures.
