A report from the incident found that the “unsecured” penguins in cardboard boxes were the cause of the helicopter crash in South Africa.
The penguin was placed in a box and in a circle with passengers, and after taking off from Bird Island on January 19, it slid down and knocked down the pilot’s controls.
The South African Civil Aviation Authority said the impact caused the helicopter to crash back to the ground. No one was injured on the boat, including the penguins.
Authorities say “there is a lack of safe containment of penguins” is responsible for creating “dangerous situations.”
The flight has been conducting an aviation survey of Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape, according to a report released this week.
After the investigation was completed, the helicopter landed and an expert then asked for a penguin to be transported back to Port Elizabeth.
The report didn’t say why they picked up the penguins.
The pilot conducted a “risk assessment” but ignored transporting the penguins on board, which was “not in compliance with Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR) 2011.”
The report determines that when the helicopter is located about 15m (50 feet) above the ground, the cardboard box slides off the expert’s leg on the right and causes the cyclic pitch control rod to move to the far right position, resulting in the airplane roll.
Unable to recover, the main rotor blade then hit the ground, and the helicopter eventually crashed from the lifting point about 20m.
Although the helicopter suffered significant damage, neither the pilot nor the passenger was injured and the penguin was injured.
The report said that all circumstances should be subject to “established safety protocols” and compliance with aviation safety procedures.
It also said that the situation and potential hazards (such as the transfer of goods) should be properly assessed.
“The lack of proper safety crates means that penguins’ curbs are not suitable for flight conditions,” it said.
