While bird strikes on aircraft aren’t uncommon, they tend to involve the flying variety and usually come from the outside.
But in one bizarre case in South Africa, an unsecured penguin in a box brought a helicopter down from the inside, by falling on the pilot’s controls.
The accident happened on Bird Island, an important bird habitat in the Eastern Cape Province, on January 19 this year.
A researcher was being picked up by a Robinson R44 Raven II after conducting a survey, and he asked if he could take a penguin back with him to the airport.
According to a report into the incident, which has just been released, the pilot obliged, and the penguin was put in a simple cardboard box and placed on the lap of the researcher who sat in the passenger seat.
Although a risk assessment was carried out before take off, the pilot did not account for the transport of the penguin.
The South African Civil Aviation Authority said in the report: ‘The passenger seated in the left front seat placed the cardboard box containing the penguin on his lap and secured it with his hands.
‘The pilot reported that before lifting off, he conducted an inspection of the helicopter and no abnormalities were found.’
(Picture: South African Civil Aviation Authority)
However, once the pilot started the engine and took off to about 50 feet from the ground, the cardboard box slid off to the right and onto the pilot’s cyclic pitch control lever.
It caused a sudden and violent pitch to the right, the helicopter’s blades struck the ground, and the aircraft crashed.
The report said that the helicopter was seriously damaged but neither the people or the penguin on board were hurt.
The 35-year-old male pilot, who was not named, had obtained his licence in 2021 and had more than 1,650 hours of flight time behind him.
The report recommended that he undergo training on the correct way to follow safety procedures.
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