Paul Allen
Pre-takeoff checklist
Not me.
HARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia pilot Monty Coles was 3,000 feet in the air and headed to Gallipolis, Ohio, when he saw a 4.5 foot snake peeking at him from the instrument panel of his single-engine plane. When the snake fell to his feet and darted to the other side of the cockpit, the 62-year-old Coles grabbed it with one hand while controlling the plane with the other. He said the snake coiled around his arm and started pulling a floor lever with its tail.The pilot radioed to Ohio for emergency landing clearance -- and got it. After a smooth landing, Coles posed for pictures with the snake, then let it loose. Somewhere in Ohio
HARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia pilot Monty Coles was 3,000 feet in the air and headed to Gallipolis, Ohio, when he saw a 4.5 foot snake peeking at him from the instrument panel of his single-engine plane. When the snake fell to his feet and darted to the other side of the cockpit, the 62-year-old Coles grabbed it with one hand while controlling the plane with the other. He said the snake coiled around his arm and started pulling a floor lever with its tail.The pilot radioed to Ohio for emergency landing clearance -- and got it. After a smooth landing, Coles posed for pictures with the snake, then let it loose. Somewhere in Ohio
