Was a rogue penguin really the cause of a plane crash in South Africa?

A surprising and unlikely explanation for a helicopter crash near Bird Island, South Africa, on January 19 has caught the world’s attention: a penguin caused it. The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) investigated the crash and confirmed that a penguin, carried in a weak cardboard box that wasn’t properly secured, was actually responsible.

As reported by the BBC and Telegraph, the crash happened during a helicopter flight over Bird Island, off the coast of Eastern Cape. The small four-seater Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter had a pilot and three passengers on board for an aerial survey. At some point, someone decided to take a penguin back to Port Elizabeth.

It’s not entirely clear why—some reports say a specialist on the flight wanted to move the penguin. Whatever the reason, the penguin was put in a basic cardboard box with air holes and placed on a passenger’s lap. This was a clear mistake, as the box wasn’t strong or secure enough for the flight. This strange accident would easily make some people wonder about aviation safety rules, whether risk assessments are done carefully enough, and the problems that can come from carrying unusual cargo.

A penguin caused a helicopter disaster

According to the SACAA report, the crash happened in a simple way. As the helicopter took off and reached about 15 meters (50 feet) in the air, the cardboard box with the penguin slipped off the passenger’s lap, per NBC. The box hit the pilot’s control lever, making the helicopter suddenly roll to the right. The pilot couldn’t fix the problem in time, and the helicopter crashed about 20 meters from where it took off. The impact damaged the helicopter badly, with the main rotor blades hitting the ground.

Luckily, the crash wasn’t as bad as it could have been. No one on board—not the pilot or any of the passengers—was hurt. Even the penguin was fine after the crash. This good outcome shows that the helicopter was well-built and that the pilot did his best to control it, even though he couldn’t prevent the crash.

The SACAA report is very clear about what caused the accident. It says the crash happened because the penguin wasn’t secured properly, which created a dangerous situation and broke aviation safety rules. The report criticizes the pilot for not including the penguin in his pre-flight risk assessment, meaning he didn’t think about the possible dangers of carrying it.

The report stresses how important it is to follow safety rules and carefully consider all risks before flying—including the chance that cargo might move around or not be secured. The report says the cardboard box was completely unsuitable for carrying a penguin on a helicopter.