Pilot’s bravery praised after making emergency landing with snake on board

South African pilot who made an emergency landing after a venomous snake crawled into his seat was praised by authorities on Friday for “displaying impeccable bravery.”

Rudolf Erasmus was flying a small private aircraft with four passengers from Bloemfontein to Pretoria earlier this week when he felt a large Cape Cobra snake moving across his back.

Despite the extreme pressure, he landed the plane incident-free in Welkom, a city roughly halfway along the route.

“I wish to congratulate Rudolf for the courageous steps taken and for how he handled what could have been a major aviation incident,” said Poppy Khoza, director of the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA).

“He remained calm in the face of danger and managed to land the aircraft safely without harm to him or the passengers on board, displaying to the world that he is an aviation safety ambassador of the highest order.”

Erasmus told local media he 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 realized it was something else and didn’t move,” he told the News24 outlet. The incident happened on Monday.

Cape cobras are mainly found in southwestern South Africa and have a potentially deadly neurotoxic venom that requires immediate treatment with an anti-venom.

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