Unsecured Penguin Causes Helicopter Crash After Hitting Pilot's Controls in Freak Accident
A penguin was reportedly the cause of a helicopter crash in South Africa.
According to the BBC and U.K. newspaper The Telegraph, a report by the South African Civil Aviation Authority stated that the unsecured bird, which had been put in a cardboard box, slipped off a passenger's lap and hit the pilot's controls on Jan. 19.
The crash occurred just after take off from Bird Island in South Africa's Eastern Cape, per the BBC.
According to NBC News, the helicopter was about 50 feet into the air when 'the cardboard box slid off to the right and onto the pilot's cyclic pitch control lever.'
The helicopter then rolled before its rotor blades hit the ground and it crashed on its right side.
PEOPLE has contacted the South African Civil Aviation Authority for comment.
Related: 2 Dogs Find Homes After Surviving Plane Crash That Killed Rescue Flight Pilot Trying to Help Them
According to NBC News, the report said, 'None of the occupants was injured; the penguin was also unharmed,
'The lack of secure containment for the penguin' was the reason for the 'dangerous situation', the South African Civil Aviation Authority said in the report, per The Telegraph.
According to the outlet, the four-seat helicopter was carrying out an aerial survey of Bird Island.
Related: Pilot Transporting Rescue Animals Dies in N.Y. Crash, but 2 Dogs Survive: 'Gained His Angel Wings'
The BBC reported that the aircraft then landed to pick up a specialist who asked for the penguin to be taken back to Port Elizabeth, a city to the west of Bird Island.
The report did not state why the penguin had been picked up, per the outlet.
The aviation authority said the pilot conducted a "risk assessment,' but did not include the transportation of the penguin onboard, which "was not in accordance with the Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR) 2011.'
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According to The Telegraph, the report stated that all 'established safety protocols' and aviation safety procedures should be adhered to during transportation.
Officials also added that a thorough evaluation of the potential risks should have been carried out before the flight.
'The absence of a proper, secured crate meant that the penguin's containment was not suitable for the flight conditions,' the report read, according to the outlet.
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