Live snake found in Japan plane after flight canceled
A live snake about 40 centimeters long has turned up under the cabin carpet of a Japan Airlines group plane in Fukuoka, a day after a pilot spotted an animal in the cockpit and its flight was canceled.
A live juvenile Japanese striped snake was discovered on board a Japan Air Commuter (JAC) flight at Fukuoka Airport on October 20, 2023, after the airline canceled the flight due to safety concerns. The snake, which is a non-venomous species, was found by a mechanic at around 1 p.m. while lifting the rear cabin carpet. The ATR 42 turboprop had arrived from Izumo Airport in Shimane prefecture on October 19 and was scheduled to depart for Kagoshima as flight JAL3653 at 12:50 p.m. However, the pilot noticed a small moving object near the cockpit floor shortly before passengers boarded.
A search failed to locate the animal, and the 43-passenger flight was canceled at 2 p.m. JAC canceled the flight because the snake could pose a risk to passengers in the cabin. No reports of a pet escaping on board led the airline to suspect a wild animal, and they continued searching the plane through the night. The airline stated that the plane would return to service once checks confirmed no damage to its equipment.
Flightradar24 data showed the aircraft had stopped at several airports in Japan before reaching Fukuoka. Hiroshi Sugie, an aviation commentator, commented that he had never heard of a snake getting into a cockpit or cabin in his 40 years of piloting. Japanese striped snakes are native to most of Japan and can grow up to over a meter long as adults.
In February 2022, an AirAsia flight was diverted to fumigate the plane after a video appeared to show a snake in the cabin.
Written by urgent.news from VnExpress International's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
