US Grounded All Flights After 9/11. Only 1 Was Allowed For A Snakebite Victim

On September 12, a jet flew from Florida to California carrying a rare supply of inland taipan antivenom needed to save 62-year-old Lawrence Van Sertima. The aircraft was escorted by two fighter jets as it crossed the country.

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• US airspace was shut after 9/11 but reopened for a medical emergency flight on September 12
• Lawrence Van Sertima was bitten by a deadly inland taipan snake and needed specific antivenom
• Van Sertima received antivenom within 45 minutes of arrival and eventually made a full recovery

Why didn't they use the antivenom supply in New York City?

The US airspace was completely shut down in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, but less than 24 hours later, authorities made an exception for a medical emergency to save a man bitten by one of the world's most venomous snakes.

On September 12, a jet flew from Florida to California carrying a rare supply of inland taipan antivenom needed to save 62-year-old Lawrence Van Sertima. The aircraft was escorted by two fighter jets as it crossed the country.

Van Sertima, an experienced snake handler, had been bitten on the thumb the previous afternoon while attempting to put an inland taipan into a cage. The Australian snake is widely considered to have among the most toxic venom of any snake.

With all civilian flights grounded following the 9/11 attacks, Van Sertima had to be transported by road to Baptist Hospital in Miami. His condition soon became critical.

He began suffering severe internal bleeding, with blood coming from his eyes, ears and mouth.

Captain Al Cruz of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue who created the county's specialised Venom One unit to prepare for and treat snakebite victims, administered all five vials of antivenom available to him, according to a report by The Washington Post. However, the treatment was insufficient because Van Sertima needed antivenom specifically developed for a taipan bite.

At the time, only two known supplies of the required antivenom were available in the United States. One was in New York City, while the other was at the San Diego Zoo.

Cruz spent more than six hours making calls to various agencies in an attempt to get the medicine transported to Miami. Hospital and fire rescue officials eventually escalated the request to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Sometime after midnight, Johnny Delgado, who was overseeing Baptist Health South Florida's air ambulance service, managed to reach an FAA official he knew through his work with the Association of Air Medical Services.

Delgado acknowledged the exceptional nature of the request but stressed that Van Sertima would not survive without the antivenom.

"But this guy is going to die" if we don't get him the medicine, Delgado remembers saying.

The FAA eventually approved the flight, but stipulated that it had to take place during daylight hours. An authorisation was subsequently faxed to Delgado.

At first light on September 12, a contracted aircraft departed Fort Lauderdale for San Diego. After landing there, the crew refuelled while the antivenom was collected from the zoo.

Members of the San Diego Harbor Police delivered the medicine to the aircraft in a small red cooler before the plane began its return journey.

The pilots later described the unusual flight to Delgado, noting the near-total absence of aircraft and radio traffic.

"It was the eeriest thing in the world," they told him, according to Delgado.

The jet landed in Miami at around 4:30pm at what was then called Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport. A medical helicopter was waiting to transport the antivenom to the hospital.

"They literally handed over this little red Igloo cooler" with the antivenom inside, Delgado said. "I remember it clear as day."

Doctors administered the antivenom within about 45 minutes of the aircraft's arrival.

Van Sertima eventually recovered and reflecting on the emergency response, he praised the people who helped get the antivenom to him despite the extraordinary circumstances.

"[They] turned heaven and hell upside down, and they did a magnificent job", he said.

Got a follow‑up question on this article? Go on

• Were any other civilian planes allowed to fly after 9/11?
• How venomous is the inland taipan compared to other snakes?
• Why did Lawrence Van Sertima have an inland taipan snake?

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Inland Taipan Bite, 9/11 Attack, 9/11