Pilot makes emergency landing with venomous cobra on his neck

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A South African pilot has made a successful emergency landing with a venomous cobra on his tail. According to authorities, Rudolf Erasmus was on his way from Bloemfontein to Pretoria in a small private jet carrying four passengers when he felt a large cape cobra slide down his back.

Despite the mortal danger he was in, he landed the plane safely halfway to Welcome.

Great danger averted

“I would like to congratulate Rudolf on his brave action and how he handled an incident that could have led to a major aviation incident,” said Poppy Khoza, director of the South African Civil Aviation Authority. “He remained calm in a dangerous situation and managed to land the plane safely,” she added.

The incident happened last Monday. Erasmus told the BBC he saw the snake when something cool pressed against his back. He thought it was his water bottle at first. “I felt this cool thing,” says Erasmus. He said he may not have closed the bottle properly and the water was dripping down his shirt.

“You could hear a pin drop”

Then came the moment of shock: “When I turned to the left and looked down, I saw the cobra pull its head back under the seat.” But Erasmus remained calm. “To be perfectly honest, it was like my brain wasn’t registering what was going on.”

Erasmus was afraid that the line would cause panic among the passengers. Nevertheless, he decided to inform the passengers. Suddenly there was a dead silence: ‘You could have heard a pin drop and I think everyone froze for a moment,’ Erasmus told the BBC. The emergency landing eventually went smoothly.

A Cape Cobra bite is potentially fatal and should be treated with an antivenom immediately. (bab/SDA)

Source: Blick