A helicopter crashed from low altitude in South Africa on January 19, 2025, after an unsecured cardboard box containing a penguin slid onto the pilot’s controls, causing the aircraft to roll and crash.

No one on board — the pilot and three passengers — was injured, and the penguin was also unharmed.

The South African Civil Aviation Authority cited a failure to follow safety protocols, noting the penguin was not properly secured in a crate and not included in the flight plan, CBS News has reported.

Written by B.C. Begley