Hero Pilot Makes Emergency Landing After Deadly Snake Found on Plane

Pilot Rudolf Erasmus was forced to make an emergency landing in South Africa after discovering what is believed to be a 4-foot-long Cape cobra, one of the country's most venomous snakes, on board his plane. Erasmus and his four passengers were flying from Worcester to the old Nelspruit Airfield near Mbombela when he felt something strange against his body. After a tense 10 to 15 minutes, Erasmus successfully landed the plane at the nearest airport, in Welkom. Local snake catcher Johan de Klerk was called to the scene, but by the time he arrived the snake had disappeared.