Picture for illustrative purposes only. ARCHIVE

South African pilot makes emergency landing after discovering cobra under seat

A South African pilot had made an emergency landing after discovering an unwelcomed passenger on board, a highly venomous Cape cobra. Traveling with four passengers last Monday (April 3) flight, the pilot, Rudolf Erasmus, felt something cold slide across his lower back while he took an earlier stop for snacks. When he glanced down, he saw the head of the massive Cape cobra receding under the seat. "It was as if my brain didn't know what was going on," he told The Associated Press. After a stunned silence, he informed his passengers of the incident. The pilot called air traffic control for permission to make an emergency landing in the town of Welkom in central South Africa. Brian Emmenis, a worker at Welkom radio station and an aviation expert, immediately called the fire and rescue department, which sent an emergency respondent and a snake handler to meet the plane at the airport. But when they searched the plane, the cobra disappeared. He said they had engineers strip the plane trying to find the snake, to no avail. Erasmus said they are hoping it found its way out. A Cape cobra is a massive snake in southern Africa and is "one of the deadliest snakes in the region." The venom attacks the nervous system and can cause deadly results if the victim is not given immediate medical attention. RZSP/Expat Media
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