A pilot in South Africa has been praised after making an emergency landing when a deadly snake slithered into the cockpit.
Rudolf Erasmus was flying four passengers in a light aircraft when he felt something slither alongside him.
"We were cruising at 11 000ft in the air when I felt something cold against my hip, Erasmus told South African news organisation Lowveld.
"It was receding under my chair. I kept quiet for minute or two, because I didn’t want the passengers to panic. I informed them a snake was under my seat in the cockpit and I needed to land the plane as soon as possible."
“Luckily everyone remained calm.”
Erasmus stayed cool and landed at a nearby airport in Welkom. His passengers disembarked and he stood on the wing of the plane and moved the seat forward to get a look at his slithery passenger.
"It was curled up under my seat. It was quite a big fellow," he told Lowveld.
Aviation expert Brian Emmenis told Lowveld Erasmus did an excellent job of getting the plane and the passengers on the ground safely.
"I must compliment Rudolf Erasmus for the way he handled the situation," Emmenis said.
Lowveld reported the snake hadn't been fond and was thought to have moved to another part of the plane. A snake catcher was trying to find it.
