hands full in
snaky’ landing
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)
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 -foot snake.
Coles was taking a leisurely
flight over the West Virginia
countryside in his Piper
Cherokee last weekend and was
preparing to land in Ohio when
the snake revealed itself.
Nothing in any of the manuals
ever described anything like
this,’’ said the 62-year-old Cross
Lanes resident.
But advice given 25 years earlier
from his flight instructor
sprung to mind: No matter
what happens, fly the plane.’’
Coles attempted to swat the
snake but it fell to the pilot’s
feet, 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,’’ he said. It
coiled all around my arm, and its
tail grabbed hold of a lever on
the floor and started pulling.’’
The next step was to radio for
emergency landing clearance.
They came back and asked
what my problem was,’’ he said.
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.
