Lowveld pilot makes emergency landing after discovering snake on plane

The Lowveld pilot, Rudolf Erasmus, was forced to execute an emergency landing after he discovered an unwanted passenger mid-flight aboard his Beechcraft Baron 58 on Monday April 3.

Speaking to Lowvelder about the ordeal, Erasmus said he had been 11 000ft in the air with four passengers when he felt something cold against his hip, only to discover what is supposed to be a Cape cobra, one of South Africa’s most venomous snakes.

“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,” said Erasmus.

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“We were cruising at 11 000ft in the air when I felt something cold against my hip.”

Erasmus said he had initially thought it was his water bottle leaking, until he looked down and saw the head of a snake, what he took to be a Cape cobra.

“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 said he contacted the relevant authorities, who cleared him to land at the nearest airport in Welkom.

He said the snake was very placid while in the air, and that it took him between 10 and 15 minutes to execute the landing.

After landing, all the passengers disembarked first. Erasmus was the last to exit the aircraft.

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“I stood on the wing on the plane and moved the seat forward to try and spot the snake. It was curled up under my seat. It was quite a big fellow.”

He said the snake has still not been found, and that he himself is currently still in Welkom awaiting an engineer to come and remove the seats and the panels from the plane to try and find it.

It is thought the snake had moved to another location on the plane while a snake catcher who had been called to assist, was on his way to the airport.

The official commentator for the Lowveld Airshow, Brian Emmenis, who has been a member of the South African aviation world for the past 40 years and has won multiple awards in aviation safety, was at the Welkom Airport shortly after Erasmus had landed on Monday.

“I must compliment Rudolf Erasmus for the way he handled the situation,” said Emmenis.

He said Erasmus had to concentrate on flying the aircraft in very bad weather while knowing the snake was on board, and managed to land the plane and get the passengers out safely.

Emmenis said upon his arrival, he had called the local fire brigade’s chief to send in the snake catcher who worked late into the evening to try and find the snake.
He said the snake catcher even laid down a thick layer of mielie meal around the plane, so that if the snake exited, it would leave a trail, but when everyone arrived back at the airport this morning, April 4, the snake seemed to be in the plane still.

Emmenis said the four passengers would be driving back to Mbombela, while Erasmus was to stay with the plane as the engineer stripped parts off to search for the snake.

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Chris Hobkirk of Lowveld Venom Suppliers said he was aware of the incident, but that it was important to note it was not verified whether the snake was a Cape cobra or not.

He said that if the snake is in fact a Cape cobra, it has one of the most potent neurotoxin venoms, more potent than a black mamba’s.

He said that while it is an extremely intimidating snake, it is not aggressive, and is likely to bite only if it feels threatened.

Below are audio clips of brief interviews with Erasmus and Emmenis. In the interview with Erasmus, he told Lowvelder the snake had been spotted slithering into the plane’s engine by two members of the Worcester Aeroclub on Sunday April 2, the day before the flight. Erasmus had searched the plane’s engines on Monday morning before takeoff, and when he could not find the snake, it was assumed it had left the engines during the night.