Düsseldorf: Tarantula bites allergic pilot on Iberia flight

A tarantula bit an allergic pilot during an Iberia flight from Düsseldorf to Madrid. The crew reacted immediately.

During a flight from Düsseldorf to Madrid, the crew of an Iberia Airbus A320 experienced an unusual incident, as reported by the Spanish newspaper "La Vanguardia" and the "Bild" newspaper. A tarantula bit the captain in the cockpit - a pilot who is allergic to spiders, of all things.

The incident occurred during the flight when the spider suddenly struck. The crew reacted immediately and administered an emergency cortisone from the plane's first aid kit to the pilot to prevent a dangerous allergic reaction. Despite the moment of shock, the passenger plane was able to land safely in Madrid.

The passengers did not notice the incident during the flight and left the plane unaware after landing. It was only when the planned connecting flight to Vigo was postponed under the pretext of technical maintenance that the real reason emerged: the spider must still be somewhere on the plane.

After landing in Madrid, the plane was thoroughly disinfected and searched by specialists. It remains unclear whether the animal was found. The flight to Vigo finally took off three hours late. According to reports, passengers repeatedly checked their seats, luggage and the aisle during this flight for fear of more spiders.

It is suspected that the tarantula entered the plane with a piece of luggage during a previous leg of the journey between Madrid and Casablanca (Morocco). The airline Iberia gave the all-clear after the incident: the pilot was fine, although the airline could not confirm whether it was actually a tarantula.