A pilot and three passengers were not injured after their helicopter crashed from a low altitude in South Africa, according to an incident report.
An unsecured cardboard box holding a penguin caused the mishap, the South African Civil Aviation Authority’s incident report said.
The pilot and passengers were conducting an aerial survey flight of an island off South Africa’s Eastern Cape on January 19, 2025. The helicopter safely landed on Bird Island. Before departing, one of the passengers, who the incident report referred to as a “specialist,” asked that they transport one of the penguins on the island back with them. The pilot agreed, and the penguin was placed in a cardboard box.
The passenger seated to the left of the pilot held the box in his lap and secured it with his hands, according to the incident report. The pilot conducted pre-flight checks but did not report the penguin as part of his flight plan, the incident report said. The pilot started the aircraft and took flight.
When the helicopter was at an altitude of around 50 feet, the cardboard box slid off the passenger’s lap — onto the pilot’s cyclic pitch control lever, the incident report said. The helicopter rolled to the right. The pilot could not recover, the incident report said. As the aircraft descended, the main rotor blades of the helicopter struck the ground, and the helicopter landed on its side, about 60 feet from where it had taken off.
The aircraft sustained substantial damage but the pilot and passengers were uninjured, according to the incident report. The penguin was also unharmed, the report noted.
The incident report said the penguin being transported in an unsecured box was not in accordance with safety protocols.
“The lack of secure containment for the penguin created a dangerous situation. The absence of a proper, secured crate meant that the penguin’s containment was not suitable for the flight conditions,” the report said.
The report did not state if the pilot will face any consequences for the breach of protocol.
“This accident emphasises the importance of adhering to established safety protocols and compliance with aviation safety procedures,” the report noted.
