In the air, a South African pilot spotted a cobra under his seat. Rudolph Erasmus felt something cold run down his back and at first thought it was water coming from his bottle…
What was his surprise when he realized that said thing was… a snake. “To be honest, it’s like my brain doesn’t register what’s going on”, the pilot told the BBC . Rudolph Erasmus had to warn the four passengers on board that he needed to land urgently.
The untraceable snake
The pilot found the right words not to sow panic on the plane. During the descent, the silence was total. Eventually the plane landed safely at Welkom. While pilots are trained to react to many scenarios, having a snake on the plane is certainly not one of them.
Previously, the cobra was seen at the Worcester Flying Club slithering onto the plane, from where the plane took off. After inspecting the plane, Rudolph Erasmus found no intruders, so he decided to take control of the plane. The snake has still not been found.
The pilot’s composure was praised by the South African Civil Aviation Commissioner, who said he did it “all lives saved on board”. The bite of the cobra can actually be deadly. Rudolph Erasmus praised his passengers for staying calm and not panicking.