JOHANNESBURG: A box carrying an ailing penguin caused a helicopter crash off South Africa, aviation authorities said, prompting jokes on social media on Friday (Apr 11) about penguin-led revenge for US tariffs.
The helicopter was seriously damaged in the crash in January, but none of the four people onboard were hurt. “The penguin was also unharmed,” South Africa’s Civil Aviation Authority said.
An investigation by the aviation body released this week found that the box slid into the pilot’s pitch control lever, causing the helicopter to roll and the rotor blades to strike the ground.
The penguin was being transported from an island reserve to the southeastern coastal city of Gqeberha for “rehabilitation”, the national parks authority told AFP Friday.
The accident was on the tiny Bird Island off the southeastern coast of South Africa, home to almost 3,000 endangered African penguins.
The report accused the pilot of violating flight regulations as “the lack of secure containment for the penguin created a dangerous situation”.
