The rare situation just happened on a private flight carrying 4 passengers departing from Bloemfontein City to Pretoria City, South Africa .
The Guardian newspaper described that when the plane was at an altitude of nearly 3,300 m, pilot Rudolph Erasmus suddenly felt "cold".
"I felt something crawling up my shirt. At that time, I thought maybe I had not closed the bottle cap properly and the water fell on my shirt," said Rudolph Erasmus. "However, when I turned to the left and looked down, I saw the cobra under the chair."
The Cape Cobra has a very strong venom. Photo: iStockphoto
The South African pilot said he took a moment to calm down so as not to panic the passengers, then informed them that an emergency landing was needed. "Luckily, everyone remained calm," he said.
Erasmus issued a distress signal and quickly landed at the nearest airport. After landing and safely disembarking with everyone, he stood on the wing of the plane and moved his seat forward, still seeing the snake lying underneath.
This is the extremely venomous Cape cobra, classified as the most dangerous cobra in Africa, one bite from it can cause instant death.
News24 news site said pilot Erasmus has been hailed as a hero by South Africa's civil aviation authority.
"The excellent flying skills of pilot Erasmus saved the lives of all people on board," a member of the agency commented.
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