Rudolph Erasmus, the Nelspruit born pilot who made an emergency landing following the discovery of a Cape cobra on his flight has revealed that the snake in question still hasn’t been found.
Erasmus told News24 that the airplane’s engines were opened and thoroughly searched after staff in Worcester said they had seen a snake on Sunday.
“We opened our engines and searched, but could not find it. We assumed it had left the craft,” said Erasmus.
Erasmus also said that they performed a usual pre-flight check the following day on Monday, and the snake was still not found.
Needless to say, the incident has left the courageous pilot a bit shook.
According to Erasmus, he has had to take precautions when flying after the incident.
"I took some safety precautions on Wednesday before flying back again. I took blankets and tried to cover all the holes where it could come through. I don't know how that will help, but it's something,“ said Erasmus.
On April 3, 2023, Erasmus safely executed an emergency landing in Welkom with four passengers after realising a Cape cobra had made its way onto the aircraft.
The flight was en route to Mbombela from Cape Town when the discovery was made.
Erasmus said that he felt something cold against his back at an altitude of 9 000 feet when he was alerted of the dangerous passenger.
Reports revealed that once safely on the ground, Erasmus and his four passengers made a hasty exit from the aircraft and it seems the deadly creature, unlike Thabo Bester and Nandipha Magudumana, has managed to escape being caught.
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