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| Date: | Sunday 19 January 2025 |
| Time: | 09:48 UTC |
| Type: |  Robinson R44 Raven II |
| Owner/operator: | Helicopter Charter & Training, opb Phezulu Aviation |
| Registration: | ZS-RJC |
| MSN: | 10347 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Bird Island, Gqeberha, Eastern Cape Province -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Survey |
| Departure airport: | Bird Island |
| Gqeberha-Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport (PLZ/FAPE) | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On Saturday afternoon, 19 January 2025, a pilot and three passengers on-board a Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter with registration ZS-RJC were conducting an aerial survey flight from Chief Dawid Stuurman Aerodrome (FAPE) in Eastern Cape province with the intention to land at the same aerodrome.
The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to transport a specialist to conduct an aerial survey of Bird Island in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape province. After lift-off from FAPE, the helicopter headed to Bird Island. Once the survey was complete, the pilot identified a suitable landing spot in the island and safely landed the helicopter. The specialist requested that they transport one of the penguins back to FAPE. The pilot agreed to the request and the penguin was placed in a cardboard box. The pilot conducted a risk assessment of the flight; however, he omitted to include the carriage (transportation) of the penguin on-board. Therefore, the risk assessment procedure was deemed not in line with Part 127.07.34 of the CAR. The passenger seated on the left front seat placed the cardboard box containing the penguin on his lap and secured it with his hands.
The pilot reported that before lifting off, he conducted the inspection of the helicopter and no abnormalities were found. The helicopter had approximately 90 litres (L) of Avgas 100LL fuel in the tanks. The pilot started the engine and advanced the power to 103 revolutions per minute (RPM); the helicopter lifted off at approximately 0945Z.
Whilst transitioning and about 15 metres (m) above ground level (AGL), the cardboard box slid off to the right and on to the pilot's cyclic pitch control lever. As a result, the cyclic pitch control lever advanced to the far-right position. The helicopter rolled to the right and the pilot could not recover timeously. Subsequently, the main rotor blades struck the ground. The helicopter impacted the ground on its starboard side approximately 20m from the point of lift-off. The helicopter sustained substantial damage. None of the occupants was injured; the penguin was also unharmed.
Probable Cause(s)
The cardboard box that contained the penguin slid off from the passenger's grip to the right and on to the pilot's cyclic pitch control lever. Consequently, the pilot lost control of the helicopter.
Contributing Factor(s)
1. Disregard for Standard Operating Procedures.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
SACAA
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5xx036p4vo
https://cgoc.co.za/phezuluaviationservices/ (Photo)
Location
Media:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
— Aerossurance (@aerossurance.bsky.social) April 10, 2025 at 10:10 PM
[image or embed]
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 09-Apr-2025 08:47 | ASN | Added |
| 09-Apr-2025 08:50 | ASN | Updated [Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, ] |
| 09-Apr-2025 08:51 | ASN | Updated [Departure airport, Category, ] |
| 10-Apr-2025 21:10 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Embed code, ] |
| 11-Apr-2025 10:53 | Justanormalperson | Updated [Operator, Source, Embed code, ] |
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