The slither of a deadly Cobra in a cockpit prompted an emergency landing

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Air travel can be nerve-wracking, just ask South African pilot Rudolf Erasmus. He was piloting a small private plane when he found a stowaway of the deadly and reptilian kind. Kate Bartlett reports from Johannesburg.

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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Imagine your greatest fears - the ones that paralyze you...

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UNDENTIFIED PERSON: ...The ones that render you helpless.

KATE BARTLETT, BYLINE: If the schnock (ph) horror movie "Snakes On A Plane" makes you nervous...

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UNDENTIFIED PERSON: Now imagine them all...

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UNDENTIFIED PERSON: ...At once.

BARTLETT: ...Spare a thought for Rudolf Erasmus.

RUDOLF ERASMUS: I felt this little cold sensation underneath my shirt where my hip is situated. I don't really know how to say it correctly in English, but basically, where you've got your little love handles.

BARTLETT: A slithering stowaway - that's what the South African pilot discovered when he felt something cold brush up against his body on a flight to the South African town of Nelspruit this week. When he looked down, the pilot was surprised to see a highly venomous Cape cobra under his seat.

ERASMUS: As I turned to my left and I looked down, I could see the head of the snake receding back underneath my seat, at which point, there was a moment of stunned silence, to be brutally honest.

BARTLETT: Erasmus decided to turn the plane around and head back to the closest airport with his four horrified passengers plus the unwelcome guest.

ERASMUS: I then informed my passengers of what was going on, but everybody remained calm.

BARTLETT: A Cape cobra bite can kill someone in under an hour. Was he scared? The deadpan pilot said his first thoughts were for his passengers.

ERASMUS: I was more afraid of what the snake might do. Luckily, it didn't strike anyone. Otherwise that would have changed or complicated the whole situation.

BARTLETT: The incident has drawn comparisons to cult 2006 film "Snakes On A Plane," in which an FBI agent, played by actor Samuel L. Jackson, lets loose an expletive-laden tirade when he discovers the plane he's on is full of venomous snakes. Erasmus said he'd seen the movie some time ago.

ERASMUS: Samuel L. Jackson's - how you say it - that iconic scene in "Snakes On A Plane" of his famous saying? That is how I felt at some point.

BARTLETT: Erasmus has been praised by South African Civil Aviation Commissioner Poppy Khosa, who told local media the pilot was a hero and saved all lives on board. Since landing, however, the snake has not been found.

For NPR News, I'm Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.