Snake on a Plane: Qantas Passenger Spots Python on Wing During Flight
When a passenger aboard a Qantas flight en route to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, pointed out that a snake was slithering on the wing, she got the same reaction William Shatner did after he spotted a gremlin on his plane in the Twilight Zone: Mostly scoffing and disbelief.
But there was no ambiguity here: A 10-foot scrub python was indeed coiling for dear life on the plane's exterior.
"There was no panic," said passenger Robert Weber, who snapped several shots of the flying reptile. "At no time did anyone stop to consider that there might be others on board."
Passengers in the vicinity were "totally focused on the snake," which was caught in "a life and death struggle."
With the winds whipping it around, the snake ultimately lost that struggle, but it did put up a good fight. "Until we landed, I looked out the window and the thing was still moving," Weber said.
The snake is believed to have climbed aboard through the landing bay, ultimately moving into the trailing ledge flap assembly.
Qantas insists this is a first for the airline.
