[Image: South African Civil Aviation Authority]
In news that sounds like the setup for a dark comedy, a rogue penguin in a cardboard box was the unlikely catalyst behind a helicopter crash in South Africa, according to a report on the incident.
Yes, you read that right: an “unsecured” penguin in a cardboard box on a passenger’s lap. Because obviously that’s where you keep your flappy, slippery, flightless bird mid-air.
The feathered stowaway, chilling in its makeshift box-throne, decided to go full chaos agent just after take-off from Bird Island off the Eastern Cape on 19 January, BBC notes. The box slipped, the penguin took a dive, and whacked the helicopter controls like it was trying to pilot the damn thing.
The South African Civil Aviation Authority declared that the impact sent the chopper crashing to the ground. Fortunately – and somewhat miraculously – everyone on board survived, penguin included.
The authority noted that “the lack of secure containment for the penguin” was the reason for this “dangerous situation.” Ya think?
Apparently, the flight was doing an aerial survey around Gqeberha when, after landing, someone decided, “Hey, you know what this flight needs? A penguin.” The report didn’t bother to explain why this particular penguin was selected for transport. Maybe it was a VIP – Very Important Penguin.
The pilot did do a “risk assessment,” bless them, but conveniently left out the part about flying with a loose tuxedoed bird in a spare cardboard box. Turns out, that little oversight “was not in accordance with the Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR) 2011.”
Once the chopper was about 15 metres in the air, the box made its bid for freedom. It slipped off the lap of the specialist, nudged the cyclic pitch control lever hard right, and boom, physics took over. The aircraft rolled, the rotor blades smacked the earth, and the helicopter went down roughly 20 metres from where it had lifted off.
By some miracle, the damage was limited to the aircraft, and everyone inside walked (or waddled) away unscathed.
The report reminded everyone, presumably through gritted teeth, that all situations should follow “established safety protocols” and proper hazard assessments—including, say, making sure your live animal cargo isn’t free to launch itself at flight controls mid-air.
As the report put it: “The absence of a proper, secured crate meant that the penguin’s containment was not suitable for the flight conditions.”
Penguin 1, Helicopter 0.
[Source: BBC]
