The pilot and three passengers were not injured after the helicopter crashed from altitude in South Africa, according to the incident report.
An incident report from the South African Civil Aviation Authority said an unprotected cardboard box that did not hold penguins caused the accident.
The pilots and passengers were conducting an aerial survey flight on January 19, 2025 on an island off the Eastern Cape in South Africa. The helicopter landed safely on Bird Island. Before departing, one of the passengers whose case report was called “specialists” asked to transport one of the island's penguins along with them. The pilot agreed and the penguins were placed in a cardboard box.
Penguin in a cardboard box. /Credit: South Africa's Civil Aviation Authority
According to the incident report, a passenger sitting on the left side of the pilot grabbed the box in his lap and secured it with his hand. The pilot conducted pre-flight checks but did not report the penguins as part of his flight plan, the incident report states. The pilot started the aircraft and flew.
When the helicopter was at an altitude of about 50 feet, the cardboard box slid down the passenger's knees – facing upwards towards the pilot's cyclic pitch control lever, the incident report says. The helicopter rolled to the right. The pilot was unable to recover, the incident report said. As the aircraft descended, the helicopter's main rotor blade struck the ground, landing on the side about 60 feet from where the helicopter took off.
The aircraft suffered major damage, but the incident report showed that the pilot and passengers were not injured. The penguins were also unharmed, the report said.
Helicopter after a crash. /Credit: South Africa's Civil Aviation Authority
The incident report said the penguins were being transported unsecured boxes.
“The lack of safe containment for penguins created a dangerous situation. The lack of a suitable safe crate meant that penguins containment was not suitable for flight conditions,” the report states.
The report did not say whether pilots would face consequences for protocol violations.
“The incident underscores the importance of adhering to established safety protocols and aviation safety procedures,” the report said.
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