ORLANDO, Fla. – Why did the airplane stop? To allow the alligator to cross the runway.
Such is life for airline passengers in Florida.
News 6 viewer Anthony Velardi said he was traveling home from Baltimore–Washington International Airport on a Spirit Airlines flight when a gator was spotted on a runway at Orlando International Airport.
Velardi said the plane came to a stop after taxiing, and the pilot informed the passengers about the incident.
"Believe it or not, we have to wait for an alligator that's in the middle of the runway," the pilot said.
Velardi shared video of the gator crossing the runway on his Facebook page.
"Only in Florida. A gator held up our plane crossing the runway at MCO on the way home from (the DC area)," Velardi posted.
The gator was several feet long, but its exact size is not known.
A truck was used to encourage the gator to enter a nearby pond, and the airplane proceeded to its gate.
In June 2017, an airplane struck and killed a 500-pound alligator at Orlando Executive Airport.
There have been several gator-related incidents in the last week in Florida, including a woman who was dragged into a pond and killed.
In addition, a trapper was knocked out cold by a gator trying to get away.