Pilot Makes Emergency Landing After Discovering Cobra Beneath Seat

An extremely deadly cobra was hidden under the seat of a South African pilot who made a hurried emergency landing to save his life and that of his passengers.

Rudolf Erasmus was piloting a small plane with four passengers on Monday’s trip when he felt “something chilly” creep across his lower back.

He added that as he looked down, he noticed that a rather large Cape cobra’s head was “receding under the bench.”

He told The Associated Press, “It was as if my brain didn’t know what was going on.”

He took a moment to gather himself before informing his passengers of the sneaky stowaway.

“There was a brief moment of stunned silence, he said. The pilot in particular maintained his composure.

Mr. Erasmus made an emergency landing request over the phone to air traffic control for the town of Welkom in central South Africa. Despite having the snake by his feet, he still had to fly for a further 10 to 15 minutes before making a safe landing.

“I kept glancing down to see where it was. It was content under the bench,” Mr. Erasmus remarked. “I don’t have a large fear of snakes, but I usually don’t go near them.”

An inquiry was made to an aviation expert and Gold FM employee Brian Emmenis to see if he might assist.

He made a call to the fire and rescue service, which dispatched an emergency team along with a snake handler to the airport to meet the plane.

The first person on the scene, Mr. Emmenis, observed everyone disembark, “visibly frightened,” but unharmed thanks to Mr. Erasmus.

Because of the strength of its venom, cape cobras are among the most lethal cobra species in Africa.

The unfortunate pilot’s drama was not yet over.

Welkom snake handler; Johan de Klerk and a group of aviation engineers spent the better part of two days searching the jet, but by Wednesday they still hadn’t discovered the cobra and weren’t sure if it had snuck out undetected.

In the northern South African city of Mbombela, the engineering company Mr. Erasmus works for demanded the return of its plane.

Understandably, his passengers chose to find another way home.

As the cobra might still be on board, he had to fly it 90 minutes back to his house. This time, Mr. Erasmus said he took some safety precautions: he donned a heavy winter jacket, covered his seat with a blanket, and kept a golf club, an insect repellent can, and a fire extinguisher in the cockpit within easy reach.

“I would say I was on high alert,” Mr. Erasmus said.

The plane has since been completely stripped, but the cobra is still nowhere to be found, according to him. It did not reappear on that flight.

The prevailing belief is that it got on board before Mr. Erasmus and his travelers set out on their journey from Worcester, a location in the Western Cape province where Cape cobras are typically seen in South Africa.

It could still be hidden deep inside the aircraft or it might have escaped in Welkom.

“I hope it finds somewhere to go,” Mr. Erasmus said. “Just not my aircraft”.