The definitive report is in as reported by Barbara at snopes .
Another post you can forward to your e-mail friends as an UL.
“A Mexican newspaper reports that bored Royal Air Force pilots stationed on the Falkland Islands have devised what they consider a marvelous new game. Noting that the local penguins are fascinated by airplanes, the pilots search out a beach where the birds are gathered and fly slowly along it at the water’s edge. Perhaps ten thousand penguins turn their heads in unison watching the planes go by, and when the pilots turn around and fly back, the birds turn their heads in the opposite direction, like spectators at a slow-motion tennis match. Then, the paper reports, "The pilots fly out to sea and directly to the penguin colony and overfly it. Heads go up, up, up, and ten thousand penguins fall over gently onto their backs.”
And:
“In November 2000, British Antarctic Survey researchers announced plans to spend one month aboard HMS Endurance studying the “falling penguin” phenomenon.”
It gladdens my taxpaying heart to see the way our money not only creates the game but then funds its debunking. No wonder we gave the Empire up, the bloody Military were to busy playing silly buggers to notice !
“Pay attention Corporal Jones” - Captain Mainwearing
Albatross do sometimes crash on take-off or landing. Seen it myself. Pretty funny. They don’t seem to be embarassed by it. 
Peace,
mangeorge
Hence the nickname “gooney birds”, given them by U.S. Navy personnel stationed on Midway island during WWII; Midway having no native population except albatrosses. At least, that’s the way I heard it. However, the now protected Midway birds are classified as “Laysan’s Albatross”, while a recent Merriam-Webster dictionary, for the definition of “gooney bird”, gives “Black-footed albatross”. Not the same species.