CAPE TOWN: South African authorities applaud a pilot’s courage for safely landing an aircraft after feeling a venomous stowaway cobra slithering on his body mid-flight.
The pilot, Rudolf Erasmus, told CNN that while flying a small aircraft with four other people on board, he experienced a cold sensation” beneath his shirt “near his hip area.
“I initially believed that my water bottle was leaking. I then turned to my left and turned to look, and there, just beneath my seat, was the snake’s head retreating. I was surprised for a moment,” he said.
He added, “To be really honest, it was more like my brain did not process what was happening. I believe it was a moment of disbelief.”
Erasmus reported that, before 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 aircraft wing and had a notion that it climbed under the engine cowling.” After searching the aircraft in vain, “we believed the snake had gotten out and gone on his merry way.”
‘A bit of a 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 quickly landing nearby.
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 snake, a sizable cape cobra, praised Erasmus for “displaying outstanding bravery after landing his aircraft incident-free, even under severe pressure,” according to the South African Civil Aviation Authority.
“He demonstrated to the world that he is an aviation safety ambassador of calmness in the face of a perilous scenario by landing the aircraft safely without harming anyone on board.”
Cobra proves elusive again.
The South African National Biodiversity Institute states that cape cobras can grow 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 to find the snake.
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.
