Snake forces emergency landing

A PILOT in Australia was forced to make an emergency landing after discovering a large snake slithering around his feet just moments after takeoff.

Air Frontier pilot Braden Blennerhassett had been in the air ten minutes after taking off in his light plane from Darwin Airport in the remote Northern Territory when he realised he had company in the cabin.

In a scene reminiscent of the film Snakes on a Plane, he was horrified to see the reptile pop out from behind the dashboard.

He immediately put out a May Day call to the air traffic control tower, telling them: “You’re not going to believe me – but I’ve got a snake in the plane.”

But the pilot had to keep his cool and land his aircraft, not knowing whether is stowaway passenger was venomous or not.

“My blood pressure and heart rate was a bit elevated — it was an interesting experience,” a relieved Mr Blennerhassett said.

“I saw that movie, Snakes on a Plane, but I never thought it would happen to me in real life. I tried to be as still as I possibly could, keeping my hands on the steering. I was worried.”

The 26-year-old diverted the plane 20 miles back to Darwin after warning air traffic control about his scary situation and asking for back-up when he landed.

“As the plane was landing, the snake was crawling down my leg. I decided not to move so it wouldn’t bite me.”