According to local media, a South African pilot is being praised for successfully landing an emergency landing after noticing a cobra coiled under his seat.
On Monday morning, Rudolph Erasmus was flying four passengers from Cape Town to the northern town of Nelspruit when he was forced to cancel the flight after feeling something cold on his body, according to the Times Live news website.
“As I turned to my left and looked down,” he is quoted as saying, “I saw the [Cape] cobra putting its head back underneath my seat.”
A Cape cobra bite can kill a man in 30 minutes.
According to the News24 website, South Africa’s civil aviation commissioner has hailed Mr. Erasmus as a hero.
Poppy Khosa is quoted as saying, “Great airmanship indeed, which saved all lives on board.”
After spotting the snake during the flight, the pilot was unsure whether he should inform his passengers. He stated that he did not want to create panic.
“I simply stated, ‘Listen, there’s a problem.'” The snake is inside the plane. “I have a feeling it’s under my seat, so we need to get the plane down as soon as possible,” he is quoted as saying.
He made an emergency landing at Welkom Airport.
The rogue reptile was not discovered by engineers who stripped the plane, according to Mr. Erasmus.
On Wednesday, he hopes to fly the plane again.
