French authorities revealed a startling discovery on Thursday as a man, believed to be in his twenties, was found barely alive within the landing gear compartment of an Air Algerie flight from Oran, Algeria, that arrived at Paris’s Orly airport earlier in the day.
The man was suffering from severe hypothermia but miraculously survived the harrowing journey.
According to prosecutors speaking to media, the unidentified individual was detected during routine technical checks following the aircraft’s arrival. Lacking any form of identification, the man was swiftly transported to a hospital in a grave condition, authorities confirmed.
Initial reports from airport sources underscored the precarious state of the man, highlighting that despite being alive, he faced life-threatening circumstances due to severe hypothermia.
Surviving in the landing gear compartment of commercial flights presents an exceptionally perilous situation. At altitudes between 30,000 to 40,000 feet, temperatures plummet to approximately -50 degrees Celsius (-58F).
Furthermore, this area lacks both heating and pressurization, making survival improbable due to the scarcity of oxygen.
Citing data from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), media reports revealed that between 1947 and 2021, a total of 132 individuals, often referred to as “wheel-well stowaways,” attempted to travel in the landing gear compartments of commercial planes.
Tragic incidents in the past underscore the lethal risks associated with such attempts. Similar occurrences have been reported, including the discovery of a deceased individual in the landing gear of an aircraft in Amsterdam earlier this year, which had flown from Nigeria via Toronto. Moreover, two passengers were found dead after a flight between Santiago de Chile and Bogota, and in a separate incident in 2019, a frozen body fell into a London suburb from a Kenya Airways plane approaching Heathrow airport.
FAA figures indicate a staggering mortality rate of 77 percent for individuals attempting this perilous method of travel.
The miraculous survival of this man in the face of overwhelming odds has sparked renewed discussion about the risks involved in stowing away in the landing gear compartments of aircraft.
