Samuel L. Jackson's got nothing on the South African pilot who made an emergency landing this week after finding a surprise stowaway on his hip -- a snake that easily could've killed him!!!
Rudolf Erasmus says he had to ground his aircraft Monday while flying 4 people in a small twin prop plane, because he realized -- while up in the air -- something cold was rubbing against his skin from under his shirt.
At first, he thought his water bottle was leaking on him ... but then he looked down and saw the serpent.
It wasn't just any snake either ... Erasmus says he recognized it was a Cape cobra, which has enough venom in its fangs to wipe out 9 people with a single strike. So, yeah ... deadly.
The pilot says he tried grabbing it and getting it under control -- refraining from telling the passengers to avoid a panic -- but eventually, he had to break the news 'cause the cobra was on the loose under his seat. When he did, he says everyone stayed calm.
Here's the kicker ... when Erasmus landed, he says he pulled his seat forward and spotted it all curled up, but when a crew member inspected, they lost it again. In other words, the snake ended up going MIA in the end.
Miraculously, no one was harmed and, for some reason, no one yelled Samuel L.'s famous quote! Not so funny when there's a real cobra at your feet.