DON’T PANIC

Pilot Somehow Lands Plane After Deadly Cobra Slithered Up His SHIRT

Pilot Rudolph Erasmus had to divert from his initial destination, but was able to cooly land his plane—and its passengers—in South Africa.

A South African pilot says he was able to safely land his plane despite a deadly Cape cobra—whose bite can kill in just 30 minutes—slithering at his feet and even at one point up his shirt. The pilot, Rudolph Erasmus, said he was able to navigate the terrifying ordeal and make an emergency landing without him or his private plane's passengers being harmed. Despite surviving the incident, Erasmus’ description of the encounter sounded straight out of a nightmare. “I felt this cool sensation, sort of, crawling up my shirt,” he told the BBC. “As I turned to the left and looked down I saw the cobra [...] receding its head backwards underneath the seat.” When Erasmus announced the flight's unwanted passenger, he says his cabin went so quiet “you could hear a needle drop.” But, following their pilot's lead, Erasmus said the cabin remained calm and the plane touched down safely.