A South African pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in Western Cape after finding a deadly Cape cobra inside the plane.

Rudolf Erasmus was piloting a private flight from Worcester, Western Cape, to the northeastern town of Nelspruit on Monday when he noticed the highly venomous snake under his seat. There were four passengers onboard the private flight when the incident happened.

"We had flown from Worcester and stopped at the Bram Fischer International Airport in Bloemfontein to refuel and get something to eat. We boarded again and were en route to the Wonderboom National Airport, with the final destination being the old Nelspruit Airfield," Erasmus said, according to Lowvelder.

He added that the plane was cruising at about 11,000 feet in the air when he felt something cold against his bottom.

"I felt this little cold sensation underneath my shirt where my hip is situated — but basically where you've got your little love handles," the pilot told NPR.

He initially thought it was water leaking from a bottle, but when he took a quick look under his seat, he realized that it was a cobra receding its head back.

"To be truly honest, it's as if my brain did not register what was going on," the pilot added.

Erasmus said he didn't immediately announce the presence of the cobra to avoid panic among the passengers.

"I kept quiet for minute or two, because I didn't want the passengers to panic," he recalled, as per Lowvelder. "I informed them a snake was under my seat in the cockpit and I needed to land the plane as soon as possible."

After he made the announcement, people "froze for a moment or two."

"I was more afraid of what the snake might do. Luckily it didn't strike anyone, otherwise that would have changed or complicated the whole situation," the pilot added.

Thanks to the calm maintained by both the cobra and passengers, Erasmus was able to land the plane at the nearest airport in Welkom in Free State province. Upon emergency landing, passengers quickly deplaned while the captain stayed behind to find the slithery straggler.

"I stood on the wing on the plane and moved the seat forward to try and spot the snake," the pilot said further. "It was curled up under my seat. It was quite a big fellow."

Unfortunately, engineers weren't able to locate the reptile, and it remains MIA.

It is still unclear how the cobra got on the plane in the first place. However, two people employed at Worcester Flying Club, from where the plane departed, reportedly admitted to seeing a snake taking cover under the aircraft and failing to extract it.

Meanwhile, the South African aviation community lauded Erasmus for keeping calm during the intense situation and keeping the passengers safe.

"I must compliment Rudolf Erasmus for the way he handled the situation," Brian Emmenis, the official commentator for the Lowveld Airshow, said, according to the New York Post.

Read more
A Monocled Cobra, of the type that inadvertently exposed an animal trafficking ring in Brazil with a single bit, pictured at a zoological garden in Royan, south-western France
A Monocled Cobra, of the type that inadvertently exposed an animal trafficking ring in Brazil with a single bit, pictured at a zoological garden in Royan, south-western France AFP / MEHDI FEDOUACH
South Africa