Passengers on a Qantas flight from Australia to Papua new Guinea got a little surprise when they looked out the window: There was a python on the plane wing.
According to the Reuters , a nine foot Amethystine python was spotted on the plane wing halfway through the flight.
A Qantas spokesman Thomas Woodward told The Star that the snake likely crawled aboard the plane during the night and was not noticed by the crew before takeoff.
Woodward said:
“The snake was seen by passengers while the aircraft was cruising. The most likely scenario is that the snake had taken refuge on the exterior of the aircraft overnight.”
Reuters reports that the snake managed to hold on for the duration of the one hour and 50-minute flight. Unfortunately, the snake was found dead when the plane landed. Woodward said that the plane was traveling at about 250 mph and that the temperature outside the plane was about 10 degrees fahrenheit during the flight.
Qantas said that there was no damage done to the plane during the incident and that the jet was cleared to fly shortly after arrival.
Woodward said:
“On arrival the snake carcass was handed to local authorities and the aircraft was inspected by engineers before being cleared to fly.”
Here’s a video of the python on the plane wing.
