Authorities in South Africa are praising a pilot for having the bravery to safely land an aircraft after he felt a poisonous stowaway snake slither on his body mid-flight.

The pilot, Rudolf Erasmus, told CNN that on Monday, while flying a tiny aircraft with four other people on board, he experienced a “cold sensation” near his hip area.

I initially believed that my water bottle was leaking, said Erasmus. “I then turned to my left and peered down, and there, just beneath my seat, was the snake’s head retreating.”

I was surprised for a moment, he said. To be really honest, it was more like my brain did not process what was happening. I believe it was a moment of incredulity.

Erasmus reported that, prior to leaving for the first leg of the day’s multileg journey, he had heard from airport visitors “that they spotted this cape cobra that was taking safety below our wing of the aircraft and had a notion that it climbed under the engine cowling.”

He explained that after searching the aircraft in vain, “we believed the snake had gotten out and gone on his merry way.”

 

ADVERTISEMENT

Ad Suggestions
At Welkom Airport in Welkom, South Africa, passengers peer inside the aircraft after the flight’s pilot, Rudolf Erasmus, found a poisonous snake under his seat mid-flight.
At Welkom Airport in Welkom, South Africa, passengers peer inside the aircraft after the flight’s pilot, Rudolf Erasmus, found a poisonous snake under his seat mid-flight.
Author: Brian Emmenis
“A little situation”
The snake, however, appeared to be hiding and surfaced in midair.

The pilot explained the situation to the passengers and air traffic authorities before making a quick landing close by. The snake was discovered under the pilot’s seat “in a wonderful pretty little bundle,” according to Erasmus, and all five passengers were unharmed.

The South African Civil Aviation Authority identified the snake as a sizable cape cobra and praised Erasmus “for exhibiting perfect bravery after landing his aircraft incident-free, despite great strain.”

“He demonstrated to the world that he is an aviation safety ambassador of the highest order,” Poppy Khoza, the director of the aviation authority, said in a statement on Friday. “He remained calm in the face of a dangerous situation and managed to land the aircraft safely without any harm to him or his fellow passengers on board.”

How to endure a cobra bite or, even better, how to avoid one altogether.
Cobra proved evasive once more
The South African National Biodiversity Institute states that cape cobras can grow to be more than 5 feet long and have a poisonous bite.

After landing, local snake catchers were called, but Erasmus claimed the snake had vanished. The following two days were spent disassembling the airplane by him and a few engineers in an effort to find the snake.

In essence, he added, “anything in the airplane that they could strip at that point, they did.” They removed the seats, carpets, and panels. Yet once more, regrettably, without success.