Nature & Environment

Horror as cobra slithers under pilot's shirt in middle of flight

By T.K. Randall
April 9, 2023 ·  2 comments

The cobra had slithered into the plane while it was on the runway. Image Credit: CC BY-SA 4.0 JonRichfield Samuel L. Jackson might have had a few choice words to say about the bizarre and terrifying predicament that befell Rudolf Erasmus during a recent flight over South Africa.

The experienced pilot had been flying the plane last Monday with four of his colleagues aboard when he suddenly experienced the sensation of something cold moving underneath his shirt.

Confused, he looked down and to his horror, spotted a large snake disappearing under the seat.

Earlier that week, some of the airport staff had reported seeing a snake hiding underneath his plane and some of them believed that it might have made its way into the engine housing.A thorough search of the plane at the time, however, had yielded no trace of the reptile.

As it turned out, the unwanted visitor had surreptitiously made its way into the cockpit.

Miraculously, Erasmus managed to land the plane safely without being bitten and without allowing the snake to distract him from his flying.

"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, displaying to the world that he is an aviation safety ambassador of the highest order," said aviation authority director Poppy Khoza.

Source: CNN | Comments (2)

Tags: Snake, Plane