South African civil aviation commissioner has hailed Rudolph Erasmus as a hero for a successful emergency landing after noticing a cobra coiled under his seat.
Erasmus was flying four passengers from Cape Town to the northern town of Nelspruit on Monday morning but made an emergency landing after he felt something cold on his body, he told newsmen.
“As I turned to my left and looked down, I saw the [Cape] cobra putting its head back underneath my seat,” he is quoted as saying. A Cape cobra’s bite can kill within 30 minutes.
“Great airmanship indeed which saved all lives on board,” South African civil aviation commissioner, Poppy Khosa said.
The pilot said he was uncertain if he should tell his passengers after spotting the snake during the flight, he held back said he didn’t want to cause a panic.
“I just said, ‘listen, there’s a problem. The snake is inside the aircraft. I’ve got a feeling it’s under my seat so we are going to have to get the plane on the ground as soon as possible,” he is quoted as saying.
Engineers who stripped the plane did not find the rogue reptile, Erasmus said. He intends to fly the plane again today.