Kinzinger took four photos of the rat snake near the wheel chocks of his plane, and it is quite a beautiful specimen.
Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who served six terms in Congress for Illinois’s 16th congressional district, tweeted April 17 that he had a stowaway in the form of a rat snake on his plane. Kinzinger, a former Air Force pilot wrote, “Yesterday I flew from Texas to Illinois, 4 hours at 17,500. Outside temp at that altitude was -8. Landed, taxied in, and when i stopped this boy dropped out of my wheel well. Welcome to Illinois, SATAN.”
Kinzinger took four photos of the rat snake near the wheel chocks of his plane, and it is quite a beautiful specimen. Kinzinger’s followers had a field day with the “snake on a plane” story.
Said Bernie: Put it on a bus back to Texas”, while jamesvoodooFella seemed more prophetic, “When you’re graced to meet a snake in a strange place, it means you’re getting ready to go through some big life changes. Don’t fight the changes, the universe has spoken and you must follow.” And Mar tweeted “How else was Senator Cruz meant to get to Chicago?” which elicted quite the response on Twitter.
Yesterday I flew from Texas to Illinois, 4 hours at 17,500. Outside temp at that altitude was -8. Landed, taxied in, and when i stopped this boy dropped out of my wheel well. Welcome to Illinois, SATAN. pic.twitter.com/OiYlnSGDiX
— Adam Kinzinger #fella (@AdamKinzinger) April 17, 2023
Not sure why there have been snakes on plane stories as of late. A few weeks ago a pilot in South Africa had to turn a private jet around after he spotted a Cape cobra (Naja nivea) under his seat.
Yellow rat snake Photo by Patrick K. Campbell/Shutterstock
At any rate, hopefully the rat snake was either returned to Texas or sent to a place where it could live out its life.
Rat Snakes Of The United States
Maryland Snake House Lawsuit Settled
Rat Snake Information
Rat snakes (Elaphe sp.) are some of the most beautiful native snakes in the United States. They are also some of the most widely captive-bred snakes and very popular in reptile keepers, especially for those new to reptilekeeping. Corn snakes (Elaphe guttata), which are also known as the red rat snake, are readily available and can be found at almost any big pet store or local reptile story. They are very inquisitive and come in a variety of colorations and morphs.
