Penguin in a box caused South Africa chopper crash, prompting tariff jokes

Johannesburg - A box carrying an ailing penguin caused a helicopter crash off South Africa, the aviation authorities said, prompting jokes on social media on April 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 south-eastern coastal city of Gqeberha for “rehabilitation”, the national parks authority told AFP on April 11.

The accident was on the tiny Bird Island off the south-eastern 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”.

Photographs attached to the investigation showed the helicopter’s cockpit was destroyed, with the small black-and-white bird seen safely tucked into a patched-up cardboard box.

Reports of the incident prompted a stream of jokes online linking it to US President Donald Trump’s announcement of trade tariffs for remote volcanic islands near Antarctica inhabited only by penguins and seals.

“Trump was 100% right. These penguins are a problem for world security,” joked one social media user. “This trade war is escalating quickly,” tweeted another.

The tariffs for Heard Island and McDonald Islands, which belong to Australia, were among sweeping import levies announced by Mr Trump on April 2 for several countries but suspended this week for 90 days. AFP