A Robinson R44 helicopter crashed shortly after lift-off on January 19 near Bird Island, South Africa, after a cardboard box containing a live penguin slipped and fell onto the flight controls. The penguin had been placed unsecured on a passenger's lap, and investigators found the pilot had failed to assess the risk of transporting it.
As the aircraft lifted off, the box slid onto the cyclic control, causing the helicopter to roll uncontrollably to the right. The rotor struck the ground, and the helicopter sustained major damage. Fortunately, no one was injured—including the penguin.
Investigators criticized the lack of a proper animal transport crate and failure to follow civil aviation regulations. They concluded the incident was preventable with a proper risk assessment.
This could obviously have been completely avoided if they had paid more attention to security protocols. 🙄
Thank God no one was hurt. For the first one, it's better to secure any object you carry.
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