Authorities say penguins inside cardboard boxes caused a helicopter crash in South Africa earlier this year.
On January 19, a pilot and three passengers sent back a penguin from Bird Island, South Africa’s Eastern Cape, while conducting an aerial investigation into the area.
A specialist on board said “asked them to send one of the penguins back,” adding: “The pilot agreed to the request and the penguins were placed in a cardboard box.”
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The investigation says the penguins are not properly fixed in the helicopter.
Although the pilot conducted a risk assessment of the flight, “he ignored the carriage of the penguins on the ship (transport).
When the cardboard box slides to the right onto the pilot’s ring-shaped pitch lever, passengers sitting in the helicopter’s left front seat hold the penguin in their legs.
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“As a result, the annular pitch control rod rose to the far right wing position. The helicopter rolled to the right and the pilot was unable to recover in time.”
The helicopter hit the ground and “had a significant damage.”
The helicopter hit the ground and “had a significant damage.”
It all happened during a flight about 50 feet above the ground.
In the incident, no one, including the penguins, was harmed.
The report concluded: “The lack of safety of penguins creates a dangerous situation. The lack of proper safety crates means that penguins’ containment is not suitable for flight conditions. Proper cargo handling is to ensure that the items on board do not interfere with passenger flight control or passenger safety.”
Original article source: How penguins in cardboard boxes cause helicopter crash in South Africa
