Pilot Fights Black Snake Stowaway on Plane

www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,197976,00.html

Friday, June 02, 2006

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Monty Coles was 3,000 feet in the air when he discovered a stowaway peeking out at him from the plane's instrument panel — a 4 1/2-foot black snake.

Coles had left Charleston earlier for a leisurely flight over the West Virginia countryside last Saturday in his Piper Cherokee and was preparing to land in Gallipolis, Ohio, when the snake revealed itself.

"Nothing in any of the manuals ever described anything like this," the 62-year-old Cross Lanes resident said. But the advice given 25 years earlier from his flight instructor immediately came to mind: "No matter what happens, fly the plane."

An attempt to swat the snake only resulted in it falling to Coles' feet under the rudder pedals. It then darted to the other side of the cockpit.

While maintaining control of the single-engine plane with one hand, Coles grabbed the reptile behind its head with his other.

"There was no way I was letting that thing go. It coiled all around my arm, and its tail grabbed hold of a lever on the floor and started pulling," Coles said.

The next step was to radio for emergency landing clearance.

"They came back and asked what my problem was. I told them I had one hand full of snake and the other hand full of plane. They cleared me in."

After a smooth landing, Coles posed for pictures with the snake, then let it loose.

"That snake resides in Ohio now," he said. "I wasn't about to bring it home. I don't mind snakes, but I sure like to know where they are."

Coles said he was lucky his usual travel companions, his wife and dachshund, were not on the flight.

"If my wife had been in the plane, I wouldn't have a wife, a plane or myself," Coles said. "I don't know what might have happened if Killer had been in the plane, but it sure would have been a lot more exciting."

AHH!!! SNAKES ON A PLANE!!

Better go get Samuel L. Mother$^@&*! Jackson!

He has a weiner dog named Killer?

Since when did a black snake become an emergency?

Quoted: "It then darted to the other side of the cockpit." Darted?

No doubt to get away from the vicious Killer wiener dog he'd heard was on the plane frequently.

Who wants to bet that this would've never made it past local newspapers (and on to arfcom) if it weren't for the movie?

Quoted: Since when did a black snake become an emergency?

I sure as hell wouldn't want to fly around with one in a cockpit.

Quoted: Quoted: Since when did a black snake become an emergency? I sure as hell wouldn't want to fly around with one in a cockpit.

They are non-poisoness (sp?) and try to stay clear of humans.

Couldn't open the window and toss it out?

Thats too funny. I don't care if it was deadly or not, I wouldn't want to be a few thousand feet in the air and have any snake that close to me. I would have thrown it out the window.

Quoted: Who wants to bet that this would've never made it past local newspapers (and on to arfcom) if it weren't for the movie?

*raises hand*

Sheep

The next step was to radio for emergency landing clearance. "They came back and asked what my problem was. I told them I had one hand full of snake and the other hand full of plane. They cleared me in."

He should have said, "I've got mother fickin' snakes on the plane!".  

I hope he had a change of underwear.  

Did he take off from an Alabama airport?

Quoted: Did he take off from an Alabama airport?

ok now that was pretty funny