Pilot's Back Feels 'Slippery and Chilly'... Cobra Forces Light Aircraft Emergency Landing

Cobra Spotted at 9,000 Feet Altitude
No Damage Thanks to Pilot's Calm Response

In South Africa, a light aircraft pilot discovered a highly venomous cobra in the cockpit during flight, prompting an emergency landing. Fortunately, thanks to the pilot's calm actions, there were no casualties.

According to major international media on the 8th, light aircraft pilot Rudolph Erasmus found a venomous cobra in the cockpit while flying from Cape Town to Mbombela in the northeastern Mpumalanga province on the 3rd, carrying four passengers.

Flying at an altitude of 9,000 feet, Erasmus suddenly felt something cold sliding down his back and saw the head of a sizable Cape cobra disappear beneath the cockpit. Although startled, Erasmus composed himself and informed the passengers that “there is a cobra on the plane” before attempting an emergency landing.

Not directly related to the article [Photo by Getty Images Bank]

After the plane landed in Welkom, Free State province in central South Africa, Erasmus and the four passengers quickly disembarked. Firefighters and snake handler Johan de Klerk, who were waiting on the runway, began searching the aircraft, but the Cape cobra was not found.

The search for the snake continued for three days until the 5th, but the missing Cape cobra was never located. Foreign media reported that “it is unclear whether the cobra left the plane or is still hiding somewhere inside the aircraft.”

Local South African media added that “the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) highly praised Erasmus’s courage for calmly making an emergency landing after discovering the dangerous cobra on board.”

The Cape cobra, also known as the yellow cobra, primarily inhabits South Africa and is considered one of the most dangerous snakes in Africa. Its venom is potent enough that if bitten and left untreated, it can cause paralysis, respiratory failure, and death.