Forget Snakes on a Plane! Discover How a Loose Crocodile on a Plane Led to Tragedy

The movie “Snakes on a Plane” was quite the hit when it came out. Although it wasn’t based on a true story, people could feel the fear of imagining themselves stuck in the air with a bunch of deadly reptiles! Most of the time, movies like that are quite outlandish, but there are some occasional examples of real-world instances of something similar happening. In fact, over a decade ago a group of people ended up dying when they were well and truly trapped on a plane with a deadly reptile. Check out the story here.

The true story of the crocodile that was let loose on a plane

Over a decade ago, 20 people getting on the African airline Filair didn’t know that it was going to be the last moments of their lives. Why? Because somebody had a package with them that would end up costing them everything.

During the flight, everything seemed to be normal. At least until the plane began its descent just outside of its destination in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As it neared the landing strip, the plane was thrown off course and crashed into a nearby house, killing almost everyone on the aircraft. The single survivor told the rather unbelievable (but true) story.

When investigators began asking questions as to why the plane crashed, it was soon revealed. The aircraft had no mechanical problems, revealing it was actually user error that caused the deadly descent. Somehow, someone had smuggled a crocodile onto the airplane, and things had gone horribly wrong.

As the lone survivor recounted, someone in the back of the plane had secretly snuck an alligator onto the aircraft while they were boarding.

‘One of the passengers had hidden the animal, which he planned to sell, in a big sports bag, from which the reptile escaped as the plane began its descent into Bandundu.

Daily Mail

How did a crocodile cause a plane to crash?

While a single crocodile isn’t enough to cause a plane to crash just from its presence, what the people on the plane did, was. The stowed crocodile ended up escaping, catching the attention of a few of the passengers, most notably the stewardess. Once everyone on the small aircraft realized what was happening, they all did what most people would do: they ran. As the flight began its descent, the entire cabin rushed forward towards the front of the aircraft.

There is a good reason that there is always the announcement to STAY SEATED during landing, and this example shows exactly why. As the plane was landing, the sudden rush of people towards the front created a severe imbalance, tilting the aircraft in a pivotal moment.

The plane was then sent off-balance ‘despite the desperate efforts of the pilot’, said the report.

Daily Mail

To make matters worse, the co-pilot was apparently one of the worst pilots around!

Wilson who was piloting a Let 410 turbo prop (pictured) at the time of the crash, said co-pilot and airline owner Danny Philemotte was so bad at flying he he was surprised he hadn’t killed himself already

Daily Mail

With the sudden rush of weight, the pilot was unable to correct for landing. Sadly, it crashed into a nearby house, killing all but two survivors: one human and one reptile.

What happened after the crash?

Incredibly, the crocodile survived the crash. Whether it was due to its armored body or position on the plane, we aren’t sure. Whatever the case, the rescuers who showed up at the crash site were probably pretty surprised when they found a living crocodile in the rubble. Additionally, the house where the plane crashed was, thankfully, vacant. The owners were away at the time, saving them from potentially losing more than just their home.

On a systemic level, the crash prompted an investigation into the event, as it probably should. Although it isn’t clear what systems or rules were established after the crash, there is one thing for certain: you shouldn’t bring crocodiles onto airplanes.

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The photo featured at the top of this post is © Audrey Snider-Bell/Shutterstock.com