The Cape cobra is a venomous South African snake, whose bite can be deadly to humans. Photo / Bernard Dupont, Flicker.cc
The Cape cobra is a venomous South African snake, whose bite can be deadly to humans. Photo / Bernard Dupont, Flicker.cc
Pilot Rudolf Erasmus was called a hero by the Civil Aviation Authority for his cool head, after discovering his co-pilot was a venomous Cape cobra.
The South African CAA praised Erasmus’ actions, safely delivering his four passengers in an emergency landing in Welkom, after learning there was a poisonous snake on board the aircraft.
Erasmus was flying the Beechcraft Baron on a charter from Bloemfontein to Pretoria on April 3.
He described the shocking discovery flying out of the airport, when he felt something cold moving on the back of his chair.
“I felt this cool sensation, sort of, crawling up my shirt,” the veteran pilot told the BBC. Initially he thought it was his water bottle had sprung a leak.
South Africa is in the midst of an antivenom shortage, making the discovery more alarming.
The plane was already well on its way and had climbed to an altitude of 8858ft.
Erasmus weighed up whether he should tell his passengers of the stowaway serpent but eventually decided it was best they knew why they would not be arriving in Pretoria as planned.
“I kept quiet for minute or two, because I didn’t want the passengers to panic,” he described the conundrum to the New York Post.
Erasmus' Beechcraft Baron safely landed in Welkom, South Africa, after discovering the stowaway serpent. Photo / Flickr, Charly W Karl, cc
When he eventually did tell them, the pilot said “you could hear a needle drop” as the horror of the situation took hold of the passengers.
“I think everyone froze for a moment or two.”
Having made the emergency landing in Welkom the passengers and Erasmus wasted no time and got out the aircraft.
Engineers stripped down the plane to make sure there were no more stowaway snakes in the machine. Local radio station Gold FM attended the search for the snake that had achieved celebrity status.
They were unable to find the reptile on Monday, which was presumed to have slithered away overnight.
The Cape cobra is a moderate-sized and highly venomous species of snake, endemic to southern Africa. Its poisonous bite means it is considered one of the most dangerous species of snake in all of Africa.
Erasmus was praised for his calmness under pressure. Commissioner of the SACAA Poppy Khosa praised his “great airmanship indeed which saved all lives on board”, in a statement to News24.
