Tarantula bites Iberia pilot mid-flight, forcing emergency treatment

During Iberia flight IB754 from Düsseldorf to Madrid on Friday, 21 February, a tarantula bit the pilot, who was allergic to spiders. The crew quickly administered a corticosteroid from the first aid kit, preventing an allergic reaction.

The flight continued without incident, and the pilot is out of danger. Upon landing in Madrid, the Airbus A320 registered EC-IEF (pictured above) was fumigated, delaying its next flight to Vigo (IB474) by three hours.

Authorities suspect the spider may have boarded during a stopover in Casablanca earlier in the week, on 18 February.