A plane crash in Africa last year, which was initially blamed on a shortage of fuel, might have had a completely bizarre cause. According to the sole survivor of the crash, the plane crashed after passengers aboard panicked when a crocodile that had been snuck onto the plane, managed to break free from its bag.

It's a bizarre story, and investigators have no idea what to make of it. According to the survivor of the crash, the reptile had been brought on board inside a sports bag by a person who probably intended to sell it later. The plane was a Let-410, and was on its way from Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, to an airport at Bandundu. As the plane was preparing for a descent, the crocodile escaped from the carrier bag. It managed to frighten a flight attendant who scurried off into the cockpit. She was followed by other passengers who spotted the crocodile and panicked. According to the only passenger who survived, crewmembers tried desperately to get everybody to stay in their seats, but failed.

Nineteen passengers running amok on a small plane caused a loss in balance, leading to the plane plummeting down to the ground. Everybody on board was killed, except the sole passenger who survived. The crocodile was killed later by rescuers who were sifting through the wreckage.

California plane crash lawyers and aviation investigators say they don't know whether to believe the crocodile story, but wouldn't rule it out completely either. Meanwhile, a friend of the pilot Chris Wilson, a Briton, has come out to say that his friend had been concerned about the state of the jet that crashed. According to the friend, Wilson had confided in him that the airplane had been blacklisted by the licensing authority. That should provide investigators other leads to probe.