Penguin blamed for helicopter crash in South Africa (IMAGES)

No one on board was harmed during the accident, including the bird

South African authorities have announced that a helicopter which crashed in the country on January 19, 2025 had been brought down by a penguin on board, the British newspaper Daily Mail reported on Friday.

The incident occurred when a Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter took off from Bird Island in Eastern Cape province. 

On Tuesday, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) explained in its report that the penguin had been placed inside a cardboard box, which a researcher on board was holding on his lap. However, shortly after takeoff, it slipped from the passenger’s grip.

“Whilst transitioning and about 15m above ground level, the cardboard box slid off to the right and on to the pilot’s cyclic pitch control lever,” the report said.

The impact forced the lever to shift abruptly to the right, causing the helicopter to roll violently. “The pilot could not recover timeously,” and the aircraft descended rapidly, with its blades striking the ground. It was severely damaged in the crash, but fortunately, neither the human occupants nor the penguin sustained major injuries.

The report stated that the “penguin’s containment was not suitable for the flight conditions” due to the lack of a secure crate.

The purpose of the flight had been to assist a researcher in conducting a wildlife survey. After the process was completed, the helicopter landed on the island, where the scientist requested transport for one of the penguins back to Port Elizabeth.

The pilot, who was identified in the report only as a 35-year-old male with over 1,650 flight hours and a license obtained in 2021, agreed to the request. The penguin was placed inside a cardboard box for the return trip. While the pilot had performed a pre-flight risk assessment, the investigation revealed that he had failed to account for the additional risk posed by carrying the animal on board.

The report recommended that pilots receive additional training in flight risk management.

Pretoria’s High Court has imposed a 10-year ban on commercial fishing in six areas off South Africa’s west coast to protect the endangered African penguin, SABC radio reported in March.

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In 2024, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified the African penguin as “critically endangered,” the first among 18 penguin species to receive this status. The population has declined by 97% over the past century, with fewer than 8,000 breeding pairs remaining. Commercial fishing off the coast of South Africa and Namibia remains the primary threat to their survival.