The pilot of an airplane got scared and had to think quickly when he noticed that there was a snake on his side in the cabin. The pilot of the plane had to make an emergency landing. The case happened last Monday (3).
Cape Snake, one of the most venomous species in South Africa Photo: blom3/Pixabay/ND
“I felt something cold on my hip,” says Rudolf Erasmus, the plane’s pilot. The plane was at 11,000 feet with four passengers on board when, looking down, he saw a Cape Cobra (Naja Nivea), one of South Africa’s most venomous snakes, slithering beside him.
According to the pilot, he initially thought it was his water bottle leaking, until he looked down and saw the head of what he thought was a cape snake.
“I was paralyzed for a minute or two because I didn’t want the passengers to panic. I informed them that there was a line under my seat in the cabin and I had to land the plane as soon as possible. Luckily everyone stayed calm.”
Erasmus says he contacted authorities in the region, who gave him clearance to land at the nearest airport in Welkom, South Africa. The airman stated that the landing took between 10 and 15 minutes. The passengers got off first.
“I stood on the wing of the plane and pushed my seat forward to try to locate the snake that was coiled under my seat. It was quite a large species.”
A typical South African species, the Cape Snake is also known as the Geelslang (yellow snake) and Bruinkapel (brown snake) and can grow up to 1.4 meters in length.
rescue
A professional was called to capture the snake, which emerged from under the seat and hid in another part of the plane.
Lowveld Airshow official commentator Brian Emmenis, who has been a member of South African Aviation World for 40 years and has won numerous awards for flight safety, was at Welkom Airport shortly after Erasmus landed on Monday.
“I have to commend Rudolf Erasmus for how he handled the situation,” explains Emmenis. In his opinion, Erasmus had to focus on flying the plane in very bad weather, knowing the snake was on board, and managed to land the plane and get the passengers out safely.
According to Emmenis, when he arrived, he called the chief of the local fire department to send the snake hunter, who worked late into the night to try to find the snake.
A layer of flour was initially spread around the plane so the snake would leave a trail as it took off, but when everyone returned to the airport on Tuesday morning, the snake appeared to still be on the plane. An engineer was called to remove parts from the plane and search for the snake.