All Things Considered for April 5, 2023 Hear the All Things Considered program for April 5, 2023

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During his flight on Monday, "As I turned to my left and looked down, I could see the head of the snake receding back underneath my seat," pilot Rudolf Erasmus says. "At which point there was a moment of stunned silence, to be brutally honest." He turned the plane around and landed safely at a nearby airport. Rudolf Erasmus hide caption

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Rudolf Erasmus

World

He felt the slither of a venomous snake in the cockpit — then turned the plane around

South African pilot Rudolf Erasmus made an emergency landing after discovering a Cape cobra accompanying him in the cockpit on Monday. The snake has not been found again since the plane landed.

During his flight on Monday, "As I turned to my left and looked down, I could see the head of the snake receding back underneath my seat," pilot Rudolf Erasmus says. "At which point there was a moment of stunned silence, to be brutally honest." He turned the plane around and landed safely at a nearby airport. Rudolf Erasmus hide caption

toggle caption
Rudolf Erasmus

He felt the slither of a venomous snake in the cockpit — then turned the plane around

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All Things Considered