A brave South African pilot, Rudolf Erasmus, has made an emergency landing after a venomous snake crawled into his seat.
Erasmus was praised by the authorities on Friday for “displaying impeccable bravery.”
The pilot, who was flying a small private aircraft with four passengers from Bloemfontein to Pretoria earlier this week, reportedly felt a large Cape Cobra moving across his back.
Despite the extreme pressure, the brave pilot was said to have landed the plane incident-free in Welkom, a city located roughly midway along the route.
According to the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) Director Poppy Khoza: “I wish to congratulate Rudolf for the courageous steps taken and for how he handled what could have been a major aviation incident.
“He remained calm in the face of a dangerous situation and managed to land the aircraft safely without any harm to him or the passengers on board, displaying to the world that he is an aviation safety ambassador of the highest order.”
Erasmus, who spoke with a local media, the News24, said the incident happened on Monday.
He said: “I became aware of the snake mid-flight after feeling something cold pressing against his back.
“At first I thought it was my water bottle… but then I realised it was something else and (so I) didn’t move.”
Cape cobras are found mainly in southwestern South Africa and have a potentially deadly neurotoxic venom that requires immediate treatment with an anti-venom.
