Pilot turns back after finding snake Pilot turns back after finding snake ADVERTISING CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An Australian pilot said he was forced to make a harrowing landing after a snake popped out from behind his dashboard and slithered
Pilot turns back after finding snake
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An Australian pilot said he was forced to make a harrowing landing after a snake popped out from behind his dashboard and slithered across his leg during a solo cargo flight.
Braden Blennerhassett — unsure whether the snake was venomous — said Thursday that his heart raced as he tried to keep his hands still while maneuvering the plane back to the northern city of Darwin. The snake popped its head out from behind the instrument panel several times, Blennerhassett said, and then the ordeal worsened when the animal crawled across his leg during the approach to the airport.
“I’ve seen it on a movie once, but never in an airplane,” Blennerhassett said.
The 26-year-old Air Frontier pilot was alone in a twin-engine Beechcraft Baron G58 and had just left Darwin airport on a cargo run to a remote Outback Aboriginal settlement when he saw the snake on Tuesday.
“You’re trying to be as still as you possibly can,” Blennerhassett said. “You’re kind of worried about the snake … biting you. As the plane was landing, the snake was crawling down my leg, which was frightening,” he said.
The snake, which is still on the loose, was suspected to be a golden tree snake, a non-venomous species that can grow up to 5 feet.
Minn. waitress reclaims $12,000 tip after dispute
MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP) — Authorities have decided to return a $12,000 tip to a Minnesota waitress that police believed was drug money.
Stacy Knutson of Moorhead says a customer told her she could keep a takeout container she left behind at the Fryn’ Pan restaurant. The box turned out to contain $12,000 in bills in various denominations.
Police initially told her she could keep the money if no one claimed it, but later said it was part of a drug investigation.
On Thursday, after the case drew national attention, Assistant Clay County Attorney Michelle Lawson told reporters the money could not be tied to a criminal investigation, and that Knutson would get a check.
Knutson says she believed the money was an anonymous gift from someone who knew her family had severe financial difficulties.
