Unsecured penguin caused a helicopter crash in South Africa

A “unsecured” penguin in a cardboard box was the cause of a helicopter crash in South Africa, a report on the incident has found.

The penguin, which was placed in the box and in the lap of a passenger, slid and knocked down the pilot’s controls just after taking off from Bird’s island near East Cape on January 19th.

The South African Civil Aviation authority said the impact was sending the helicopter to collapse to the ground. No one on board, including penguin, had been injured.

The authorities said “the lack of secure restriction of penguin” was responsible for creating the “dangerous situation”.

According to the report published this week, the flight conducted an air survey on the island in GQEBERHA, East Cape Province.

After completing the study, the helicopter landed, where a specialist then demanded the transport of a penguin back to Port Elizabeth.

The report did not say why they took a penguin.

The aviation authority said the pilot had made a “risk assessment” but failed to include the transport of a penguin on board, which “does not comply with the Civil Aviation Rules (CAR) 2011”.

When the helicopter was about 15 m (50 feet) above the ground, the cardboard box slid from the lap of a specialist to the right and caused the cyclical lever to control the steps to move to the far right position, causing the roller of the aircraft, the report determines.

Then unable to recover, then the main blades of the rotor hit the ground and the helicopter eventually bumped from the side of its right approximately 20 m from the lift point.

While the helicopter caused significant damage, both the pilot and the passengers were unharmed and the penguin was unharmed.

The report states that all situations must be subject to “established safety protocols” and compliance with aviation safety procedures.

He also said that a proper assessment of the situation and potential dangers (such as load displacement) should be held.

“The lack of a suitable, protected crate meant that retention of penguin was not suitable for flight conditions,” the message said.