“Listen, there is a snake inside the planeit’s under my seat, so let’s try to get off the ground as soon as possible»: the four passengers on a private flight direct from Bloemfontein were addressed on Monday at about 3,000 meters above sea level in Pretoria, in South Africa. . . . A dramamarlo Rudolph Erasmus, in command of the Beechcraft Baron 58 in which the reptile had sneaked before take-off thus making an emergency landing more urgent than ever. In fact, it was none other than a South African cobra (Naja nivea), among the most aggressive and venomous species of the whole continent.
Uninvited guest
“I warned one strange feeling of coldas if something crawled up my shirt – he recounted the man at Bbc –. When I turned left and looked down, I saw the cobra rear its head under the seat». In fact, a scenario worthy of «Snakes on a Plane», an anxiety-provoking 2006 thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson. With a single bite, on the other hand, the cobras of South Africa can inject between 100 and 150 milligrams of venom (compared to a lethal dose of just 20), causing death to occur after just a few hours due to respiratory failure. It is no coincidence that they are estimated to be responsible for at least half of the deaths caused by snakes in the country each year.
Final yellow
Fortunately, the episode did not produce dramatic consequences like those of the film. Indeed, after reaching the Welkom airport, all occupants of the flight left the vehicle unharmed. To provide further suspense to what happened, however, an aura of mystery remains, as there was no trace of the specimen: probable that after landing he slipped out of the cabin as stealthily as he entered. If you are not sure the four passengers however preferred to continue the journey by other means. “They too remained calm,” said Erasmus. And this undoubtedly contributed to the positive outcome of the affair.
Several precedents
“It could have been a disaster – he has declared about a News24 the Director of South African Civil Aviation Poppy Khoza. – It’s an incredible story with excellent handling of the situation by the pilot: I congratulate him on the skill shown». Equally incredible however is the existence of various precedents. Just last October, for example, a (harmless) garter snake was discovered inside a United Airlines flight from Tampa to Newark, in the United States. In 2016 and in 2017, however, similar high-altitude finds had been made in Mexico and Alaska. Without a ticket, it’s hard to get away. Even for reptiles.