You could say that flight delays are both “normal” and “expected,” but this one takes it to another level. An Airbus carrying a commercial flight crew got a shocking interruption when an eight-legged stowaway struck the pilot.

A tarantula, likely hailing from Casablanca, Morocco, might have boarded an Iberia Airlines plane during a layover on February 18. From there, the Airbus A320 flew to Belgium, Chile, France, Spain, and Switzerland before a flight crew and their passengers took off from Düsseldorf Airport in Germany and headed to Madrid.

Mid-air, the tarantula made its way over to the pilot

Once bitten, the pilot alerted the flight crew of an extra wrench: They were allergic to spiders.

For most people, a tarantula bite causes mild pain, swelling, and/or itchiness. Some folks are highly sensitive to insect venom, though, and their reactions are more severe.

While the plane made it to Madrid, the pilot required medical attention after landing. The event caused a three-hour airline delay as airport staff fumigated the Airbus, Fox 8 shared.

While the flight crew didn’t identify the spider’s exact breed, there are several countries the Airbus traveled to where tarantulas are native. Ischnocolus valentinus lives in Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Spain, and Tunisia.