Stowaway Snake Forces AirAsia Flight To Emergency Land In Malaysia

A snake was found in the lights of an Asian airplane on Thursday, Feb. 10, forcing the pilot to do an emergency landing in Malaysia as a preventative measure to ensure the safety of the plane and its passengers.

The passengers on the flight reportedly saw the snake in one of the overhead compartments of the plane, with many taking videos as the snake slithered about in the overhead lights of the airplane, according to Channel News Asia.

The plane, which had taken off from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia for a final destination of Tawau, Sabah, was a commercial flight that belonged to regional flight airline AirAsia. The pilot, after being informed of the snake, decided to do an emergency landing in the city of Kuching.

As the plane was fumigated, AirAsia released a statement commending the pilot for prioritizing the safety of the passengers first while reassuring possible customers that the situation was very unusual.

“This is a very rare incident which can occur on any aircraft from time to time,” AirAsia’s chief safety officer Captain Liong Tien Ling said. “The Captain took the appropriate action."

With videos of the snake slithering about in the overhead lights of the airplane spread on social media, Capt. Liong Tien Ling made sure to emphasize that the people in the airplane were not at risk when the incident occurred.

“At no time was the safety of guests or crew at any risk,” he assured.

Meanwhile, in Kansas City in the United States, an airplane was forced to do an emergency landing on Sunday after an unruly passenger attempted to disrupt an American Airlines flight that was headed from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., the New York Daily News reported.

The unruly passenger reportedly tried to enter the cockpit of the plane before he was struck with a coffee pot by a flight attendant. Once the plane landed in its emergency stop, the man was arrested by the FBI and is currently under their custody.

“We’re grateful to our crew members, who are consistently dedicated to the safety and care of our customers and who handled the circumstances with the utmost skill and professionalism. We also appreciate the customers who stepped in to assist our crew,” American Airlines said in a statement.